Long Overdue for Fun ((Bryce))

[Ashley Hill]

Ashley groaned, frustrated as she stared down the black runes. She wanted to spill the runes on the floor and give up, but Professor Tyler was in the room. Why did she have to take Ancient Runes? Elina had told her it was a fun and easy course, but it wasn’t for Ashley. Actually, it was one of her worst classes. Her brown eyes traced over the small white letterings on the marble. She was suppose to connect the KAL and YLEM runes together to form a T. Those two runes were supposedly an easy way to make objects rise into thin air. The assignment in class was to make the small box in front of the table rise in the air and move it onto another desk. Well, it sounded easy, but it was harder than that. “KAL YLEM!” Ashley forcefully yelled hoping at least she could make the box stir. Nothing. Sighing, Ashley rested her head in between her arms on the desk in defeat. “Ashley would you like some help?” Professor Tyler asked, looking at the teenager from her desk. Ashley bit her lip, nodding her head as she stared at the young adult. “One second,” Sandra whispered making a final mark on the parchment in front of her. Professor Tyler then finally stood up, making her way toward the table Ashley was sitting at. The adult stood next to Ashley, staring down at the rune alignment.

“Alright…please try again so I can see what’s wrong.” Ashley nodded, reciting the same incantation, the box not even stirring. Sandra hummed to her self slightly, processing what could be wrong. Ashley sat there in silence, only thinking about leaving the stuffy classroom. Seeing a hand switch the runes again so the YLEM was on top of the KAL, the adult spoke. “Try that not.” Sighing, Ashley for the hundredth time recited the same phrase her eyes growing big as the box slowly raised in the air. “I never thought of changing the runes around. The example you showed up has the KAL in front of the YLEM.” Professor Tyler just clicked her tongue, shaking her head so her brown curls flew about. “You always have to look at it different, Ashley. Don’t be afraid to try a different way of aligning the runes.” Sighing, Ashley just nodded her head, overjoyed as she realized she was finished. Well, there was an essay to be written, but that wasn’t due till the end of the day. Professor Tyler just smiled as she headed back to her desk, plopping into the cushioned chair on the other side. “Good effort Ashley. If you need any more help don’t be afraid to ask.” Ashley nodded collecting all the runes and setting it away in the cabinets on the side of the walls.

Collecting the rest of her things, Ashley picked her bag up, putting the straps around her shoulders. “Thanking Professor Tyler for helping me. See you later.” Quickly heading out of the classroom, Ashley followed the crowds of students, making her way out of the castle. She would have gone back to the common room, but Ashley didn’t have anymore homework to finish up for the night. Anyways, she needed a break. Her feet crunched under the pressure of the leaves as she made her way along the path toward the lake. Taking the black rubber tie that was on her wrist, Ashley pulled her hair up into a messy bun. Her bands hang over the edge slightly, looking more frizzy that curly. Stopping as she noticed Bryce leaning up against a tree, Ashley grinned as she quietly made her way over to her. Once on the opposite side of the tree, she silently set her bag down on the ground. Slowly, she tiptoed around, until finally jumping at him, tackling the boy into the pile of leafs that were collecting in the ground. Laughing, Ashley grabbed a hand full of leaves throwing it up into the air. “Hey Bryce!”

((OOC- God-mod from Professor Tyler was allowed.))

[Bryce Alexander]

As Bryce read the letter, he had a hard time processing what it was saying. In fact, he had to read it three times before he fully comprehending what it meant...

___

Bryce,
Sorry that I have neglected writing for so long. I think that I have only sent you one owl since you visited this summer. Anyways, I have been quite busy, and this letter comes with good news. Well, some bad, but mostly good.

The bad news first. I won't be able to come visit during the Christmas holiday like I normally do. I know, I know, you may argue that it's only fair that I come. However, this brings me to my good news...

You remember David? Yes, the guy that you barely got to meet aside from a quick introduction in passing. Well, anyways, just a few days ago, he proposed to me! That's right, someone actually does want to spend the rest of their life with me, surprising, right? (you know I know what you are thinking) So this means that we will have a lot of wedding planning to do. The date is set for just after our graduation from Beauxbatons. Try your best to make sure dad takes this well. Tell him that he is free to visit London to come meet David before the wedding. Mom is happy for me at least, even if dad opposes.

Another tidbit of good news. After graduating, David has secured a job with the Ministry in London! That means the two of us will be moving to London, closer to you and dad. Mom isn't the happiest about this, but I told her she will just have to come visit us all more often.

Well, I should get going. Hope this finds you doing well at Hogwarts. Tell your friends I said hello, and you should really try bringing one of them to the wedding with you! Have a great day little brother; miss you lots.

Love,
Brianne

___

Bryce hated it when she called him little brother. At most, she was minutes older than him. How that gave her the right to call him little brother was beyond him. Not to mention, he was much larger than her anyways. Regardless, Bryce was happy to hear the news, and even happier that Brianne would be moving to London in the next year, even if it meant she would not be home for the winter holiday this year.

As he stood by a tree on the grounds of the castle, Bryce rolled the letter back up and was about to get a piece of parchment so that he could send a letter back. He was suddenly interrupted though as he felt a body collide with his own, sending him falling to the ground onto the pile of leaves that had collected below the tree. "Ash!" he said, still shocked by her random approach to greeting him. Taking a handful of leaves, he threw them at her playfully. "What are you doing here, silly girl?" he asked, smiling at her. She always seemed to have so much energy, and Bryce never understood how she seemed to always be so happy. It wasn't a bad thing though. Her happy mood made it easy for him to be happy too. "Guess what good news I just got!" he then added with excitement.

[Ashley Hill]

Ashley laughed upon seeing Bryce’s shocked face, leaves still falling slowly to the ground from when she threw them. Squealing lightly as he threw a handful at her she brushed the stems out of her hair. Picking the last one out, Ashley listened to Bryce’s question before looking back at her. She sat more comfortably on the ground, selected a bright orange leaf off from the ground, twirling between her fingers. “I just got done with my Ancient Runes class. Professor Tyler had to help me with the in class project she assigned for the course period,” she answered, sighing at the thought. Why had she continued with the course? It wasn’t exactly going to help her with her profession at the end of the year. “I’m not very good at that course. You have to be clever and think out of the box to where the rune placements should be.” Rolling her eyes slightly she stopped spinning the leaf. “So I decided to come outside for some fresh air before dinner. Why are you out here?” Ashley asked her eyebrow rising curiously at her friend. Her eyes fell upon his hand where he held a piece of parchment inside. “I haven’t been able to see you much lately this year….How’s everything going so far?” Ashley continued to twirl the leaf, secretly wanting to ask about Weetzie. She hadn’t really talked about the mall experience with Bryce. Actually, Ashley thought that Bryce would hate her. Well…apparently he didn’t, well it seemed like it.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Bryce excitedly asked about the good news he had received. Letting the leaf slip, Ashley looked eagerly at her. “It has nothing to do with the Falcon’s Quidditch team crumbling the Tornado’s, does it?” she asked, a questioning glint reflecting in her brown eyes. Ashley had recently read in the Daily Prophet about the match. Since the Tornados were her favorite team, she normally kept up with any new victories. Anyway, didn’t Bryce like the Falmouth Falcons? Sighing, Ashley groaned as she remembered about the Hufflepuff team practices. “I still need to talk to Ivy about practice schedules for this year….I only know that our match it coming up soon against Slytherin.” Gazing back at Bryce, she waited for him to continue on about his good news. It had to be connected with the parchment she was still holding. Had she interrupted him? She knew he wouldn’t be doing any homework, unless it was due the next day, so it shouldn’t be anything school related. Shaking her head, Ashley pulled the rubber band from her hair, running her fingers through the curly mess. Pulling the black pony tail holder onto her wrist, Ashley then rested her head comfortably on Bryce’s stomach.

Stretching her legs and yawning, Ashley looked sideways at Bryce. She wondered laying her head on his stomach bothered him. Ashley didn’t know when she ever became so comfortable around him. She always flirted with him and he did the same, but it was never something else. Pushing her worries aside, she picked up a handful of leaves, throwing them up into the air. “So what’s this exciting news if it isn’t about the recent Quidditch match?”

[Bryce Alexander]

"Ancient Runes?" he repeated, giving her a sour look. "I'm glad I dropped that class. If you ask me, it's so archaic that I don't see the point. I mean, I'm sure it's helpful to know, but when you can use your wand, who needs runes to help them do magic. We are living in the twentieth century after all." Bryce sat on the pile of leaves with his hands resting behind him. They were quite comfortable, a little cold, but comfortable nevertheless. "Everything's fine," he answered, trying to think if there was even anything worth mentioning. Aside from their fiasco at the laser arcade, Bryce hadn't done much interesting. Weetz had been busy lately, and so he didn't see her often. Of course, Bryce was busy trying to keep up with his studies, something that took a lot of his time if he was actually trying. That could only go so far though, as Bryce lost motivation rather quickly when it came to school work.

"Ha," Bryce said, the reminder of the Falcons' latest victory causing him to smile. He had forgotten that Ash was a fan of the Tornadoes, and she had surely heard about the dreadful match that they had against his Falmouth Falcons. "It's not that," he shrugged with a grin. "And I'll try not to brag too much, considering you might still be getting over the loss." Bryce leaned against the tree, laying back enough to look toward the sky with his hands behind his head. Above him, the naked branches of the tree stood still, the few leaves that hadn't fell rustled softly in the wind. Ash then mentioned that she needed to set up a practice with Ivy. "That's be nice," he remarked, "I need to get back into the swing of things. Been too long since I've been able to swing my bat around. Should feel good to make a few good bludger hits." Just then, he felt the weight of Ashley's head on his stomach. It surprised him at first, but he welcomed the feeling.

Finally, her patience thin, Ash asked Bryce to reveal what the news really was. "Brianne's getting married," he said happily. "And then, after the wedding, she and her fiance David are moving to London." He wasn't sure how much Ashley knew about Brianne, aside from the fact that she and Bryce were twins. "She wants me to bring someone to the wedding in June." Bryce stopped there. He still hadn't decided if he should ask Weetzie or Ash. Likely, Weetzie would not care much to go to a wedding, but she might enjoy the time away from home. Ashley, on the other hand; Bryce hadn't even reasoned whether or not she'd want to come. Well, he figured she would if he asked, but then again, he wasn't sure if it would be weird. They had become close friends, but Bryce couldn't help but feel that there might be something more. He didn't know if Ash felt the same way, and didn't want to ruin anything if she didn't. Then again, she was laying on his stomach just then. Even Weetz would never do that, unless she was really upset and needed someone to be there for her. Girls were normally easy for Bryce to be himself around, but Ashley made him nervous; perhaps because he felt that there was something real there, unlike when he was simply being his playful and energetic self around other girls. "What do you think about..." he started, and then stopped mid sentence, letting out a small sigh. "Oh,never mind," he added, shaking his head back and forth slightly.

[Ashley Hill]

Ashley shook her head in agreement. Bryce had a point. Magic had evolved over the years, from runes to wands. Though, it was useful to know other ways to perform spells. Bringing her knees up to her chest, Ashley wrapped her arms around the base of her legs. “You took Ancient Runes….” She asked staring off into space trying to recall any moment which she had seen him in that course. Ashley had started taking it in her fourth year, but she couldn’t remember ever seeing Bryce. “I most have long term memory loss.” Laughing she outstretched her legs, pulling up the knee high socks that were beginning to fall down. “So what are you taking this year, Bryce? I know we have Charms together.” A small smile curled on her lips at the thought. She got to sit next to him, which made her hard to concentrate. Bryce did that to her. Ashley couldn’t help but feel slightly nervous around him, but she tried not to let it show through. Looking up at Bryce as he said everything was fine, Ashley gazed back down at her legs. She wanted to ask him how he felt about the whole laser tag incident. Ashley hadn’t seen Chris or Weetzie much after that. Well she saw them together a lot lately. “Um…” she began picking a leaf back up from the ground, her fingers tearing it apart. “I never asked you about the laser tag incident….” Ashley finally got out, glancing back at Bryce. She wanted to know how he felt after that.

When Bryce mentioned the recent loss of her favorite Quidditch team, Ashley just stuck her tongue out at him. “The Tornado’s would have beaten the Flacons if there weren’t so many fouls made on both sides.” Shaking her head, Ashley sighed as she threw the leaf back down on the ground. She wished she could have seen the match in person, but instead she had to read about it in the newspaper the next day. Actually, Ashley hadn’t been in a professional Quidditch game in forever. “Though....I have to say, the Flacon’s seeker did brilliant, but their offense was off.” That’s how some games in Quidditch were played. A team could still be down with points, but still win if their seeker caught the snitch, but Ashley was more on the defensive side. Nodding, Ashley grinned when Bryce brought up the recent Quidditch practice. “Same here….we’ll have a practice soon hopefully. I don’t know who we are playing first, but I hope it’s not Slytherin,” she stated shrugging before resting her head comfortably on Bryce’s stomach. Her breath got caught in her throat as she felt him tense. Was she taking it too far? Once he went on, she let out a breath of air, her eyes never leaving his face.

The twinkle in Bryce’s blue eyes caused Ashley to smile. He was explaining about the good news with his twin Brianna. Ashley grinned at her friends excitement, reaching into his pocket where she saw the letter tucked in safely. Un-wrinkling the paper, she listened to Bryce as he brown eyes read through the sentences. “This is exiting Bryce! Have you met this guy yet, though?” she asked, glancing up briefly from the paper. She knew Bryce got protective when it came to his sister and mother. When he was about to ask a question, Ashley waited for him to ask, but he just stopped. Was he trying to invite her to the wedding? But there was also Weetzie who would probably want to come as well. Sighing, Ashley folded the letter neatly, tucking it back into Bryce’s pant pockets. “Maybe your sister would let you have more the one guest….” Ashley stopped in mid sentence raising her eyebrow. “You were going to ask me to the wedding right? I would have said yes….but as friends or….a date?” Biting her tongue, Ashley quickly looked down at her finger tips, trying to hide the red tint forming on her cheeks.

[Bryce Alexander]

Laser tag. Bryce had done well with trying to forget that day. Taking Weetzie home that night wasn't easy. He could sense a barrier that had formed between them, and he knew it wasn't either of their faults. It was just something that was necessary for her process in accepting and getting over the death of Gracie. There was no easy way around it, and since he valued her friendship so much, Bryce was willing to do whatever it took to help Weetz, even if it just meant letting her be alone for a while to process it. Surely she would eventually come back to how she used to be, or at least part of her, he hoped. The last thing he wanted was to lose her friendship. To make it worse, Bryce knew that his being friends with Ashley didn't help matters. What Chris had said to him, about the two fighting for him, Bryce wondered how much truth was in that. Couldn't they both be friends with Bryce? The answer was becoming more obvious as he was starting to realize what might be happening.

"About that night..." he trailed off, somewhat reluctant to talk about it, but still wanting to be able to if Ash needed to clear things up. "I'm sorry that it had to happen like that. I know that you probably don't want to hear excuses for Weetzie, but I think she was relying on me a lot, and then whenever she realized that the two of us were friends as well, I think that she might have felt like I betrayed her. I don't know though. I could be all wrong. Honestly, I don't even like to think about it, because it doesn't seem to me like there is a good outcome no matter what." Bryce sighed, hoping Ashley understood how it put him in a tough spot. Ashley and Weetzie were so different, and Bryce liked different things about them. To top it off and make it worse, he was having a hard time too deciding who he would chose if it had to be one. And, to make that even more complicated, he was still struggling with the idea of figuring out what the relationship between he and Ashley really was. It was a friendship, at least, but it was different than his friendship with Weetzie. He could just feel a difference. The only thing was that he wondered if Ash felt that same difference.

The topic of Quidditch seemed insignificant after talking about laser tag, and so Bryce let that one go, turning his attention back to the matter of the wedding. Having stopped in the middle of his sentence before, Ash then assumed he was going to ask her to go with him. It wasn't what he was planning to ask, but he surely was thinking about what he might do for that situation as well. Somehow, everything seemed to link back to this rift between Ashely and Weetzie. Bryce was in the middle, feeling more and more like he had to pick a side.

"Actually, that wasn't what I was going to ask..." he replied, deciding that he might as well just get to the heart of the issue. "...but it does somewhat have to do with what was on my mind." Bryce didn't know if this was the right time to do all of this, but he was at the point of not being able to stand the tension he felt from knowing he was stuck in the middle of a terrible situation. "I was going to ask what you thought about us... I mean, us as in just me and you. Take Weetzie or anything else out of the equation. Because... well, because depending on your answer, I have a lot of things I need to consider." He gave her a weak smile, wondering how open she'd be, and wondering to what extent she was expecting something like this. Before she answered though, Bryce wanted to clarify a few things. "I like you Ashley. In what way, I don't really know right now. But I like you. And I don't want to ruin any friendship or bond that we have." He knew that at some point, the topic of Weetzie would be part of this, but for now, he wanted to strip everything away and see what Ashley thought of just them.

[Ashley Hill]

Ashley nibbled on the edge of her cheek as silence encircled around them. She hated silence, especially the awkward sort after a serious question was asked. Her fingers began to tear the leaf apart faster, the dried plant crushing beneath the pressure. When Bryce finally spoke, Ashley quickly looked up at him. Why was he apologizing? Nothing that happened that night was his fault. It was mostly Ashley’s fault, since she had snapped at Weetzie harshly. That wasn’t the best thing she could have done, but it made the situation worse. What really confused Ashley was why the younger girl hated her off the bat? Ashley didn’t want to come to any conclusions, but maybe Weetzie had feelings for Bryce? Why else would she have acted the way she did? Sighing, Ashley shook her head in protest. “Don’t apologize, Bryce. It was mostly my fault. I shouldn’t have snapped at her because she had all the reason to act the way she did….” Stopping, Ashley stared back down at her palms. The leaf’s stem was stripped of it colors, crushed beneath her grip. Letting it go, she watched the wind blow it away. Ashley couldn’t decide to tell Bryce her own theory for Weetzie behavior. Maybe she was afraid of Bryce liking Weetzie more than a best friend. Sighing, Ashley closed her eyes, opening her mouth to speak. Nothing. Looking down at the ground she decided not to worry him over it. Bryce already had enough on his mind. “Let’s just put it behind us….okay?” Ashley asked hoping Bryce was willing enough to forget about that night. She most certainly was ready to do just that.

Her stomach began to fill with butterflies as Bryce answered her query. He wasn’t going to ask her to the wedding? Ashley most have taken his words wrong then….taking a deep breath as her stomach settled, Ashley’s head immediately shoot up at Bryce’s question. Did she just hear him right? Before she could even ask him to repeat, he went on about his own feelings. As he finished, Ashley looked away quickly, her brown eyes fixed on the ground. He felt the same way. So why couldn’t she say anything, or even smile? Ashley trusted him, but maybe not enough to confess her heart. Taking breath from the pit of her stomach, Ashley released the air slowly. Sitting up so her head wasn’t resting on Bryce’s stomach, she looked over her shoulder at him. Without even thinking, Ashley leaned in closer to him, her lips softly brushing across his. Her hand then rested tenderly on his cheek as he eyes closed. It wasn’t a hard kiss, but she was acting upon her emotions. Pulling away from him, Ashley sat back on her knees, her brown eyes watching him. She couldn’t believe she had done that.

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ears, she tried hard to hide the embarrassment on her face. “I feel the same too….” She began trailing off as she took a deep breath. “I don’t want you feel like you have to choose sides Bryce. You should be able to be friends with both Weetzie and me, but if things don’t go that way, then I can wait. I understanding helping Weetzie is more important than what we could be.” Nodding, Ashley held her breath as she searched Bryce’s face for any kind of reaction. She hoped it was be a good one.

[Bryce Alexander]

The past was a good place for the whole laser tag thing. At least for now. Eventually though, Bryce could feel it in the pit of his stomach that the matter would have to be resolved eventually. Perhaps he was running from it, but he would argue that he was just trying to gain perspective. He hadn't even had much of a proper meeting with Weetzie since, at least not one in which she was willing to talk about that. So, for now the past was good kept in the past when it came to the laser tag incident.

As Bryce spilled his own feelings, he was inwardly grateful to to see Ash smiling. That had to count for something, right? She sat up from his stomach, and he was expecting a reply from her. However, he watched as her face got closer to his, and in an instinctive moment, Bryce remembered nothing more than his eyes closing and feeling Ashley kiss him very subtly. Stunned for a moment, Bryce kept his eyes closed, opening them only when she finally offered her reply.

At this point, Bryce would have asserted that he didn't need a reply. The kiss, as quick as it may have been, said more than the words that Ashley offered him. He did however catch the tail end of her explaining his freedom to refrain from having to make a choice. Was it that obvious that he was torn? Granted, Bryce didn't see it as making a choice as much as figuring out what all of his feelings really meant. Never in his life had he felt so confused, and the kiss... well, that only seemed to make it easier and yet harder at the same time when it came to his own understanding of everything that was going on in not only his mind but with those whom he cared most for. Still a bit taken back, in a good way, by the kiss, Bryce simply starred at Ashley for a second. "How can you expect me to talk seriously after doing that?" he questioned with a sweet smile. Bryce decided to leave her comments in his mind to ponder later. For now, he just wanted to be able to enjoy the moment. Rare had it been lately for Bryce to have a truly worry free moment, and so he wasn't letting this one slip away.

Taking a handful of the dried brown leaves that were laying below the two of them, Bryce stood up and let them fall onto Ash's head. Laughing, he gently tackled her onto the pile, trying to bury her beneath them. He knew she probably wanted him to say something about the kiss; like whether or not he was okay with it. But Bryce didn't want to make it awkward. It was nice, and he liked leaving it at that. Finally letting Ashley free from the leaves, Bryce rolled over onto his back, laughing again as he looked up at the blue sky. "Sorry, I couldn't resist," he added between spurts of laughter, half expecting her to now try and get him back.

[Ashley Hill]

Ashley sat further back onto her knees, adverting her gaze to the ground. She hated the regret she felt. Was it wrong for her to kiss him first? There were some guys that felt intimidated when a girl made the first move. Bryce didn’t seem to be that type. It didn’t occur to Ashley at how much he had changed over the year. She remembered his flirtatious strings with girls, but now he was toned down, more conservative. Ashley really couldn’t believe she was beginning to fall for Bryce. After the whole Ryan incidence no one had caught her now, and also the guilt kept her from having crushing. Bryce had broken through those barriers blocking her heart. Had she finally busted through his own walls to his real self? Looking up, Ashley’s head tilted, her brown eyes searching his face. It was obvious that he was shocked, but Ashley wanted him to say something. She was looking for a positive reaction. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she traced the lines of bark on the bare tree behind Bryce. What if he really had to choose between Weetzie and her? A part of Ashley wanted him to be with her, but the other part knew that friendship was more important than love. Anyways, what was their relationship anyways? It wasn’t like they were dating, but she had just kissed him? Mentally groaning at the thought, Ashley stared back into Bryce’s expressive blue eyes. She was about to open her mouth to say more, but stopped as he spoke first.

Her jaw closed shut, an eyebrow rising slightly above her hair line. He wasn’t going to respond verbally toward the kiss? “What are you-” she started to speak, but was stopped as she noticed Bryce pounce forward at her. Screaming lightly as her body fell into the pile of leaves, she laughed as he buried under the rigid leaves. When he finally let go, she laid there, her eyes staring at the expansive sky. She could hear Bryce chuckling, apologizing between rolling laughter. Ashley continued to laugh along with him, her eyes closing as he stomach began to ache from the rumbling. After a few moments, Ashley sat up from the pile picking the leaves out of her hair. “And you know that I’m going to have to get you back for that right?” Shaking her head, her hair jousted wildly, leaves flying all over the place. She glared at Bryce’s relaxed figure in front of her. Scooping as many leaves as she could into her arms she slowly scooted across the grass toward her friend. Once she was in distance, Ashley smothered his face with the pile. “How does that taste?” she asked giggling as she quickly jumped up from the ground, sprinting away before Bryce could even think about tackling her.

She was only a few feet away from him when she stopped running. Ashley grinned at him, her fist clutched tight on her hips. “If you want payback, then you’re going to have to catch me first.” Waiting for some sort of reaction, Ashley quickly ran the opposite direction down the path, looking back at her friend to stick her tongue out at him. It felt good to be carefree once in a while.

[Bryce Alexander]

"If you know what's best for you, you won't," Bryce threatened Ash with a taunting grin as she informed him that he would be given payback for smothering her with leaves and tackling her into the pile that surrounded them. Sure enough, he could only smile and watch as she slid close to him with a handful of leaves. As she stuffed them in his face, Bryce simply closed his eyes and made sure that his mouth was shut tight. When she finished, he felt the dirt all over his face from the leaves, some of which were wet. "Tastes like chicken," he said with a laugh, using the trite statement that he had heard throughout his childhood. At this point, Ash had jumped to her feet and distanced herself from Bryce, probably expecting him to retaliate as she did.

"And what if I don't want payback!" he shouted as Ash began to run off. She turned once more, as if taunting him, and stuck out her tongue. "What if I just want another kiss." The words were whispered to himself, soft enough that Ash would have surely not heard them. Seeing that she was half way to the lake by now, Bryce stood to his feet and ran after her. He wasn't planning on getting any payback, but if he didn't chase her, she would surely be somewhere in the Forbidden Forest before even realizing that he was not on her tail. Being that she didn't seem to be running at her full speed and that Bryce was rather quick with his long legs, it took just a minute or two for him to catch up. "Got ya!" he said between heavy breaths as he grabbed the back of Ashley's shoulder with his hand.

Bending down with his hands on his knees, Bryce tried catching his breath. Not having sprinted like that in a while, he was quite out of shape. Quidditch didn't do much to help you stay fit, at least not in the way that running did. "All of that... and I wasn't even going to get you back." Just then, Bryce saw that behind Ashley, there was a rather large mud hole that had likely been from the recent rain. Smirking, he had a great idea. "Come here, you," he said, walking over to Ash and scooping her up with one hand behind her back and the other holding up her legs. Then, he walked over to the mud hole and spun Ash around so that she could see what fate awaited her. "Well... I wasn't going to get you back with leaves..." he said, wanting to clarify that he hadn't planned on any retaliation until seeing the puddle of mud. With that, he took Ash and himself and jumped into the mud, splashing it all over the two of them. It would have been mean to just throw her in, but if he jumped too, she couldn't be too upset. It was only a few inches deep, but enough to soak through his clothes as he sat in the mud, allowing Ash to slip from his grip so that she was also sitting in the cold puddle. "Now what are you going to do, Ashley Hill?" he questioned, still smiling with his normal Bryce-like grin plastered on his face.

[Ashley Hill]

Ashley starred at Bryce’s distance figure, puzzled slightly at his comment. He didn’t want payback after she stuffed dried leaves down his throat? Bryce had to at least catch up with her if she continued to run. “A little chase can’t hurt you, can it Bryce?” she shouted back a taunting glint gleaming in her brown eyes. She stood silent not knowing if Bryce was talking to himself or not. Quickly turning on her heel, Ashley raced forward her legs pounding against the hard ground. Leaves and undersized sections of branches broke with each step. Her hair bounced with each movement a small section falling into her eyes. Tucking the strand behind her ear, Ashley slowed her pace down, listening for other foot steps. Why couldn’t she hear him? Bryce wouldn’t just disappear like that. Glancing back over her shoulder, Ashley sighed with relief as she saw Bryce sprinting closer to her. Before Ashley could even increase her speed, Bryce grabbed her shoulder, pulling her to a stop. Resting a fist on her hip, Ashley leaned forward as her chest heaved rapidly. It had been a while since she went out jogging. School work and choices for the future were time consuming. “A little - out of breath there…..Bryce?” she teased through her own shallow breaths. Staring at Bryce, she smiled standing up straight as a cramp ragged through her side. “I think we’re both out of shape.” Raising her right arm straight in the air, Ashley leaned to the side stretching as far as her body would allow.

Shaking her head as Bryce finally spoke Ashley dropped her arms to her side. “Then does that mean truths?” she asked hopeful that she wouldn’t have to race him back to the castle. Her legs were still screaming from pain from the run. Noticing the look in his eye, Ashley’s eyebrow rose slightly. What did he have planned? When he took a couple steps forward, Ashley took a small step backwards, feeling her feet sink into the earth slightly. Looking behind her, Ashley’s eyes widened. He wouldn’t dare? Gasping as Bryce scooped her up into his arms, Ashley wrapped her hands around his neck, enjoying the embrace. When he turned her around to face the puddle, Ashley squirmed slightly. “Don’t you dare, Bryce Alexander!” she warned clutching tighter to his neck. He couldn’t just drop her into the puddle. Squealing as he jumped into the puddle, mud splashed everywhere, a small portion coating her face. Closing her eyes shut, Ashley felt herself slip to the ground. Sitting there in silence she wiped her face flicking her arms to the side. “I can’t believe you did that! You jerk!” Ashley said, glaring at her friend next to her. Her face softened moments latter, a laugh rolling through her body. It was hard for Ashley to stay mad at people. She was very forgiving, and the situation was quite funny.

“I feel like a child again,” Ashley spoke softly as her hands dug into the cold, murky mud. Grabbing a handful, she flung it at Bryce’s face grinning. “Now were even.” Laughing she stared at his dirty face, shaking her head. Scooting closer to him, she rubbed the mud off with the end of her sleeve. There was still dried splashed on his face, but that would have to be gotten out by a shower. “You know mud is very good for the pores,” she added laughing before falling back onto her back, spreading her arms and legs out to make a mud angel. “Now what are you going to do after I smothered you both in leafs and mud?”

[Bryce Alexander]

It was amusing to hear Ashley’s cries of protest, but deep down he knew that she was enjoying it. Or, at least he hoped she was. Bryce couldn’t have asked for anything more fun and freeing from his recent period of confusion and frustration. Weetzie had once been his escape from the seriousness that the world had to offer, but lately he had been wary to even crack a smile around her. Though, it wasn’t her fault, Bryce just wanted her back to the old Weetzie. He wished that he could get a chance to talk to her and help her get over Gracie’s death.

Nonetheless, he was with Ashley now, and he was able to escape from the worries and the constant thoughts of how to fix everything around him. “Jerk?” he questioned with a tone of disbelief. He noticed the lack of control she had, the scowl on her face quickly turning to a smile. Her eyes showed the excitement as well, and Bryce was happy when she had mentioned feeling like a child again. Even the mud that she flung in his face was a welcome gesture. He wiped a bit from his eyes before noticing Ashley scoot closer to him amidst the puddle of mud. He rolled his eyes at the girly comment concerning mud and its benefit for the pores, laying back to join Ashley so that his entire back was now caked in the thick mud. He spread his arms and legs, moving them through the sludge as he laughed.

“You think a little bit of dirt and leaves are going to hurt me?” he questioned, still quite impressed that the idea of being all dirty hadn’t disgusted Ashley. Bryce wasn’t the type of guy who was obsessed with nature or anything of the sort, but he didn’t mind the outdoors on occasion. He knew a lot of girls, on the other hand, that would have literally freaked out if Bryce had thrown them in a mud puddle. He was glad Ash was different in that aspect. Sitting up, he felt the mud sliding down his back, and then he looked over at Ashley who was still laying down with the mud angel surrounding her. “Crap!” he said out loud as he glanced at his watch. “I have a meeting with my little brother from the BBBS program in like ten minutes!” He stood, wiping most of the mud from him and figuring he could get the rest with a quick cleansing charm, as he didn’t have time to go shower. With his wand, he sprayed with water what parts of him he could see and then turned to Ashley. “Mind getting the rest?” he asked, turning so that she could spray down his back. Afterward, he would use the drying charm so that he wasn’t soaking wet.