500 Miles ((Jake))

[Jordan Elizabeth Cortes]

When I wake up yeah I know I'm gonna be. I'm gonna be the man who wakes up next to you. When I go out yeah I know I'm gonna be. I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you. Jordan’s head moved with the song that she adored, I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers, was one of those songs that made her break out with a smile and just want to grab a random person and twirl them around. Of course, that would look just plain silly and Jordan wasn’t known for silly now was she? Jordan giggled at that thought and then took her headphones out of her ears and put her crystals so everyone in the courtyard could hear the song.

If I get drunk yes I know I'm gonna be. I'm gonna be the man who gets drunk next to you. And if I haver yeah I know I'm gonna be. I'm gonna be the man who's havering to you. People looked her way but Jordan really didn’t care this time. Actually, Jordan didn’t care what people saw or though of her anymore, she was who she was. If someone didn’t like that, then that was their problem. She wasn’t going to change for someone aside from herself. But I would walk 500 miles. And I would walk 500 more. Just to be the man who walked 1000 miles to fall down at your door. She stood up on the bench she was on and then looked around the courtyard for someone she recognized. And there he was!

“Jake!” Jordan hopped off, the music still playing behind her. When I'm working yes I know I'm gonna be. I'm gonna be the man who's working hard for you. And when the money comes in for the work I'll do, I'll pass almost every penny on to you. “Hey! Dance with me!” She cried, reaching for his hand and pulling him toward her music. It wasn’t any latin ballroom dance steps, just moving with the music. Her eyes were closed, so she didn’t know if Jake was dancing or not. She would look like a fool if he wasn’t, but that didn’t matter. “Dance makes you feel so much better, carefree, just…happy! Don’t you think? If I could I would dance for hours and hours, and none of that tango dancing either – just going wild, letting it loose.” Jordan opened her eyes and grinned widely at Jake as she did a turn and then continued to dance.

When I come home yeah I know I'm gonna be. I'm gonna be the man who comes back home to you. And if I grow old well I know I'm gonna be. I'm gonna be the man who's growing old with you. She had that big grin on her face, that contagious smile that was almost always on her face. One that when you saw it, you couldn’t not smile. Even if you were one of the people who cared what others thought, Jordan’s carefree demeanor always made you feel as if you were the only one there, she was so easygoing that way.

[Jake Rainyar]

Jake scratched his arm as he readjusted his back pack. His books were quite heavy today and he knew he should have done a quick spell to lighten the load, but he was already moving. He was so tired of studying. He really just needed a break to be himself. It was beginning to get really difficult for him to concentrate on his school work, with thinking about the ministry, N.E.W.T.s and of course his latest infatuation, Ariel. Sniggle was even beginning to get angry with him for not being around much, but his future was at stake here and he just needed to concentrate. However, all work and no play makes him a dull boy. And indeed he had begun to become a very dull boy indeed. He hadn't even bothered to owl his sister, Janet, who had taken off for America a couple months back to pursue her Broadway passion. He knew from what she had last said was she was attending an acting school, where she was much happier with her life. He was just glad that she was happy again and not depressed.

Jake didn't pay attention to anything going on around him as he thoughts continued to float around his future, Ariel, and his sister. It wasn't until he heard his name being shouted that he realized he was in the courtyard. He looked up to see Jordan running toward him. She grabbed him and pulled him over to the bench she had been near. He heard a familiar song and the lyrics brought a smile to his face. This was what he needed. Jordan told him to dance with her and within seconds he had shrugged off his bag and was dancing crazily to the great song. His favorite lyrics were coming up and he started shouting them out. "Da da da da, da da da da!" he shouted out with the words. The greatest lyrics ever! It just melted any ice that was in your heart. It made you want to laugh and dance and sing even if you couldn't do any of them well.

Jake just smiled and laughed at what Jordan was saying. It was so true. Dance was quite freeing especially since he was so worried about things. He just needed the time to have fun and he was glad that his feet had led him to the courtyard. "Yeah, this is perfect for me. Because I can't dance to save my life so this here is fine, because I don't have to worry about looking stupid!" he shouted and laughed as he felt the weight that had been on his shoulders lift greatly. Everything seemed to be ten times better and all he had to do was take a little Jake time. He smiled and laughed as he watched Jordan dance around just as crazily as he was. He didn't care that anyone was watching him. It wasn't the point. The point was that he needed to be free to do something exciting and fun and no one could change that just because they disapproved of the craziness of it. He didn't care what others thought anyway.

[Jordan Elizabeth Cortes]

Jordan grinned as the song ended, and she sat down on the bench. Her heart racing, her breathing heavy. She always felt exhilirated after dancing - no matter what type. She looked at Jake and smiled while she ran her fingers through her hair, letting the loose curls fall down her back - it sort of tickled. The onlookers slowly thinned away, leaving them alone for a little bit. She took out her wand and waved it, "Accio water." In seconds two bottles of water appeared. She handed one to Jake and then opened her own, letting the cool refreshment, refresh her body. It was always good to get fluids in you after you dance. Even if it was just throwing your body about. She took another sip of her water and glanced at Jake, wondering if she should ask what was on her mind. Finally, she decided to and turned to face him, "Do you really worry about looking stupid all the time, Jake?"

If it was one thing Jordan learned it was that people who cared what you looked like, acted, how you talked, dressed, or who you were - weren't people that mattered all that much. But the people who would laugh with you, dance with you, break out in song with you, were those who would always be with you. Be spontaneous! Seize the moment! Jordan was always very lively when it came to things like that. Life was too short to sit around and do nothing, to worry what others would say about you if you just jumped at lunch one day and danced around the Great Hall, a huge smile on your face. Everyone worried too much about things like that, things that in the end really won't matter at all. How Jake could really care what other people thought was beyond Jordan. From the small amount of time she had spent with him, he seemed to understand a lot more than most people she knew.

"You know," Jordan said, switching her feet so she was sitting criss cross apple sauce (yes, she still called it that), "you really shouldn't. Looking stupidis one of those things that everybody is. You can't avoid it, and those who try are the ones who end up looking more than stupid. They end up looking idiotic and incompetent. They don't understand that the point of life is to have fun. To break out and live. Life is too...small and short to be filled of sociopaths and people who want to make it by faking it. In fact," Jordan trailed off rather slowly. She brought the bottle to her lips and then nodded, "people like that make me feel like I'm in America. You know, Hollywood? I hear it's very phony there. No one understands real joy because everyone's too worried what everyone's thinks. It's kind of pathetic to think about, really."

[Jake Rainyar]

Jake laughed when the song ended. Oh, how grateful he was that he had run into Jordan. Life was too real and heartless right now for him and he desperately needed this joy in his life. Jake took a seat on the ground and leaned back against the bench that Jordan had taken a seat on. She had gotten him a water, which he had opened immediately and took a large gulp of. Trying to keep it from running out the sides of his mouth. He breathed deep and wiped away the water that had slid down his mouth. He smiled up at Jordan. "Nah, not really. I mean I do some times, especially recently I guess. But for the most part I don't really care. I mean I never used to," Jake said as he ran a hand through his hair, which he did when he was either confused or trying to think. In this case it was a little of both. "I guess to be honest, I never used to care at all, but it changed this year. I changed. I used to have fun all the time, but with Janet being so depressed and my grammy's death, things just started to become more serious for me. I realized that life wasn't very fun anymore. It just became hard for me to not care about if I looked stupid or not. See Janet never cared either way. She'd tell me if I looked stupid, but I did it to make her smile. Then she just stopped smiling all together. Now, I'm worried about life after Hogwart's. So much to do and hardly any time to do it in. Then there's Ariel. I don't know what I'm going to do come next year, when I leave Hogwart's and she's still here. I'm going off to try to fight the Dark Lord."

Jake stopped suddenly. He hadn't meant to say any of that. It just sort of slipped out. They were his fears and worries. All of them had been building up over the last few days and now here they were pouring out of his mouth in front of Jordan. It wasn't that he cared that he was worried about things, it was just that he didn't want to bother Jordan with these thoughts. They were somewhat depressing and he just didn't want to deal with them right now. He wanted to be free from them for one moment, like he had been when he was dancing around with Jordan. Now they were all crashing back down on him and he was beginning to feel the weight of them on his shoulders. For the first time in his life he was beginning to realize what it was like to be an adult. What it was like to worry about the safety of those he cared about. He smiled slightly before sighing.

"Yeah, you're probably right, but some times, one can't help, but think about if they're looking stupid or not. Janet would know better about Hollywood. From what she last told me she was taking acting classes from a talent agent she got. I guess she's living out her dream, but for me, I just want things to go back to the way they were four years ago. My grandparents were both alive. Janet was happy. I was happy and my parents were happy. I was the carefree kid I always thought I'd be. I was obsessed with Peter Pan and I always thought I would be just like him. A kid forever. I guess you have to grow up. If you don't then you never learn to deal with pain. Of course, one could wish to never have pain, but then you'd have to think about what the world would be like with no pain. I guess without suffering there would be no compassion," Jake said with a shrug as he took another gulp of his water. He sighed. "I don't know Jordan. I don't remember what it was like to be carefree and happy. Not worrying about what people thought of me. What's it like for you?"

[Jordan Elizabeth Cortes]

Jordan listened, a small smile on her lips, as Jake kind of just let all that he had been thinking out. She sipped her water again, and continued to listen. That same small smile on her lips, but when he asked her what is was like for her to be carefree and happy, her smile wilted and she looked down. "Well," She cleared her throat and slowly looked back up, "like I told you that day my painting ran away, I wasn't always like this. It wasn't always easy for me to be carefree and happy. I went through depression just like any other greiving daughter would. I don't blame your sister for being sad - she lost someone close to her. I know you wish she could smile and be happy, but that takes time. It takes lots of time." She traced the cap of her bottle and then sighed before continuing.

When she started thinking about how she had become the person she was, a shy smile crossed her lips and she looked back up at Jake with stars in her eyes; "I guess, the reason I'm the way I am now is because of Dillion. He's made me realize life shouldn't be spent dwelling on deaths or anything depressing. He helped me out of my depression. I don't know what I would do without him. Dillion's everything to me." Jordan seriously thought the sun rose and set on Dillion's smile, his laughter, just him in general. Maybe she was just lovesick, but Jordan couldn't get on without Dill there by her side. "Yeah, sure, my friends don't know what I see in him, but they weren't there. They didn't see how he helped me, I don't even think he sees how he helped me. Dillion's the whole reason I continue to be carefree...he sets something off in me that hasn't been set off in a long time."

Jordan grinned at Jake again and took another sip of her water before turning her gaze to the younger years running around the courtyard playing tag. There was a small group of friends studying underneath a tree, and a couple flirting shamelessly by the fountain. She turned back to Jake and smiled again, "Now, who's this Ariel girl you're worried about leaving? You know, if you're worried about leaving her, you could always fail this year and be here next year." Jordan's smile widened and then wilted again, "Dillion's leaving this year, as well. But you know, I'll make it through - and I'm certain Ariel will too. Just as long as you don't complete sever all ties with her. That would hurt worse than you graduating and talking to her every chance you could."

There was a scream and a laugh, then a splash. Jordan looked back at the couple, the boy and girl had just fallen in the fountain and were splashing each other. Soon a professor would come out and scold them, possibly dock house points, and they would laugh when the professor left. It was nice to be so happy, but not the kind of false happiness that Jordan sometimes was. The kind that just... came to you. She turned to Jake and shrugged, taking another sip of her water; "Maybe you just gotta live. Let life take you where it wants to, you know? Learn to deal with the hard things, and enjoy the good things."