Nothing Like a Little Cheer ((Ash, Bryce, Chris))

[Weetzie O'Keeffe H7]

“Doll, you’re going out tonight, aren’t you?” Maire was leaning against her daughter’s bedroom doorframe, her arms crossed and her brown hair pulled back with two chopsticks. Weetzie looked up from her bed and over her magazine that she had been reading and shrugged slightly, “Bryce invited me out with him and Ashley, but I don’t know if I want to go.” Maire looked a bit disappointed and moved to sit on the edge of her daughter’s bed, lifting up her socked feet and putting them in her lap; “You know, when you were a baby, you clung to me so often I thought I might as well get you permanently suctioned to my hip…” Weetzie looked at her mother, trying to hide the annoyance that was spreading across her face. If she was showing any annoyance, though, her mother didn’t seem to pick up on it because she continued on with her story; “Then you turned thirteen and suddenly you couldn’t wait to get out of the house. I always would watch you run out to go play with the Parker girl down the street and I started to wonder whether or not you’d ever just want to stay home with me ever again.” Maire looked at Weetzie now, who was growing more and more confused; “And now, you’re stuck in your room all day, and Baby Doll, I love you for it… but I have a date tonight, and I want you out of this house so I don’t have to worry about you.” Weetzie groaned slightly and pulled her stuffed skelanimal to her, playing with its ears. She hated when her mum started to worry about her. Honestly, Weetzie was a big girl; she could take care of herself.

“So, please go out with your friends?” Maire flopped onto her stomach beside Weetzie and took the stuffed skelanimal from her hands, looking at it and making a face, “I don’t see how you think this is cute, Weetz.” The sixteen year old shrugged, and crossed her arms over her chest. Maire was on the brink of pleading and Weetzie knew she’d give in anyway, “Alright, fine, I’ll go. But I don’t guarantee that I’ll have a good time. Hanging out with Bryce while he’s hanging out with Ashley is bound to be awkward for me, I’m sure.” A hint of bitterness tinged Weetzie’s voice as she pushed herself off her bed and started to change into a pair of jeans and a black and white striped t-shirt with a broken heart in the center. Maire watched from the bed and fiddled with the skelanimal’s ears like Weetzie had been doing only moments before, “You jealous, Weetz? That Bryce has another friend, other than you?” Weetzie rolled her eyes and pulled her black leather jacket on before slipping her feet into her black skull flats, “No. I’m not. I have no reason to be. Bryce can have as many friends as he pleases and he can like or date whoever he wants for that matter.” She moved to her dresser where her mirror was and started applying make up and putting a black plastic flower barrette in her hair. Maire moved from the bed and stood behind Weetzie as she applied her eyeliner and eye shadow. She kissed the temple of her daughter’s head, “Try to have fun tonight, okay? He really does care about you, Baby Doll, and he only wants to see the old Weetz again… we all do.”

Weetzie looked at her mother in the mirror before she turned and left her alone. She knew that seeing her this way was killing everyone who was close to her, but what was Weetzie going to say or do? This was who she was now. She wasn’t the bubbly hyper Weetzie that she was last year. The summer had done a lot to her. Including taken something that she held very dear to her. Weetzie looked at herself in the mirror and saw the reflection but she did not see the girl. “I am the girl in the mirror, but the girl in the mirror is not me,” she recited before letting out a small sigh and leaving her room; her skelanimal tossed aside on the bed. Her mother was walking around the house, setting candles here and there and lighting them with the tip of her wand. “The disadvantage of living in Hogsmeade, Baby Doll,” Maire was saying as Weetzie slid past her into the living room, “is that you always have to date wizards because sooner or later they ask about where you live and you can’t exactly tell a muggle you live in a cloaked wizarding village, can you?” Weetzie smirked and shook her head as she moved toward the floo fireplace. “Where do you plan on flooing to?” Maire asked as she lit some more candles that hung above the fireplace. “Diagon Alley, then I’ll walk into muggle London from there and meet them at the shopping centre in the city.” Maire looked a bit worried for a moment and then shook her head, “Alright, be safe, darling.” She whisked by and planted a soft and breezy kiss on her daughter’s cheek before Weetzie picked up a hand full of floo powder, tossed it down and yelled; “Diagon Alley!” As clearly as possible.

A few moments later, Weetzie reappeared in the fireplace at the Leaky Cauldron. She brushed off the soot and made her way out the front door without much acknowledgement to the bartender. She broke into the London streets, looking around as she assessed where she was located. She estimated a ten minute walk to the shopping centre where she would wait for Bryce and Ashley at the arcade. Weetzie wasn’t worried about walking around London by herself, because honestly she really knew she could handle herself. Her mother was always worrying too much. She thought about this as she walked to the shopping centre, her eyes straight ahead, her stare menacing. No one would approach her if they knew what was best for them. Weetzie finally reached her destination and pushed open the doors to the entrance, making her way through the halls to the arcade where she had said she’d meet them. She didn’t go inside, because arcades weren’t her scene, instead she sat down on a bench outside it and waited. She didn’t know how long she was waiting, but it was long enough for her to let her mind wander back to Gracie. When she felt someone sit beside her, Weetzie opened her eyes and looked in the direction, staring blankly.

[Bryce Alexander]

Bryce walked through the door of the small cottage he shared with his father. Letting his luggage fall to the ground, he let out a large sigh and then collapsed on the nearby chair. Paris had been... well... Paris. It was the same old happy reunion followed by the same tearful goodbye. Brianne was looking better than ever, and Bryce continued to wonder if he should move to Paris just to keep her safe from all the French boys who were surely swooning after her. They spent night after night catching up on the past year that they had been apart. Bryce vowed that he wouldn't skip Christmas break this year and he tried convincing Brianne that she should visit as well. It had been ages since she had seen their father, much to her own resentment toward him though. Bryce couldn't help but feel an equal resentment toward his mother although Brianne insisted that finding a boyfriend was the best thing for her. "But she isn't even here to see me?" he remembered arguing, and then also feeling the rush of guilt coming from his own selfishness. Needless to say, the trip had went way to fast for Bryce's liking, but he was looking forward to getting back to school.

Thinking of school, Bryce sat in the chair exhausted and remembered that he was supposed to meet Weetzie and Ash to go out in London. He wanted to go, he really did, but dragging his tired body through store after store with two females was something he thought might be impossible. Gathering his strength, he hobbled off to his bedroom and then emerged a few minutes later donning a fresh outfit and a renewed sense of energy. Taking the last bottle of butterbeer from the cupboard, he made his way out of the house and then disappeared in an instant, reappearing just inside Diagon Alley. Making his way through the bar that connected muggle London with the wizarding world, Bryce gulped his drink down and deposited the bottle in a trash bin.

The arcade was where he and the others were supposed to meet. Bryce felt his pockets, checking to see how much muggle money he had. Most of his muggle money was spent in Paris, but he had a bit left, enough at least for some fun at the arcade and maybe a bite to eat. Shopping could wait. In fact, he would probably spend his whole stash of wizard money when he got everything he would need for his last year at Hogwarts. Rolling his eyes at the thought, Bryce neared the entrance of the arcade, keeping an eye out for Ash or Weetz.

He almost overlooked the girl who was sitting on one of the benches, her dark demeanor topped off with everything black. Bryce had to take a second glance to realize that it was in fact Weetzie sitting before him, and lost and confused look plastered across her face. Saying nothing at first, Bryce slid onto the bench beside her and tilted his head to look her in the eyes. They were closed, but when they opened, they were still staring off beyond the two sitting there. It had been weeks since Bryce had seen Weetzie, but he thought of her often. The death of Gracie had done so much to her, but Bryce was beginning to see that it had maybe done more than what he had realized.

"Hey, Dark Angel," he teased, using his hand to pull her chin up so that they could make eye contact. "So black's the new colour?" he asked, eying up the rest of her wardrobe and taking it all in. She reminded him of someone who was into the whole Goth trend. Bryce wasn't one to judge, but he couldn't help but worry about Weetz. It was obvious that this was most likely some sort of stage she was going through in reaction to all that Weetzie had been through lately, but Bryce couldn't help but be selfish in wanting the old Weetzie back. She didn't need to hear that though, Bryce knew. She needed a friend, and so he would be a friend instead of a critic.

Bryce reached into the pocket of his denim jacket and pulled out a small package. Handing it to Weetzie, he gave her a smile and hoped for the same. "I picked this up for you while I was in Paris. I figured you might like it." As Weetzie slowly took the gift from Bryce, he watched carefully, hoping to see maybe even a hint of happiness in her face. It had been so long, but Bryce still had hope. Time would heal everything, right?

[Weetzie O'Keeffe H7]

Weetzie blinked at Bryce’s greeting, wanting badly to smile at that. Dark Angel. How fitting was that? When he tilted her chin up, she made no hesitation in looking him in the eye. He had been gone in Paris and Weetzie had missed him, as much as she wouldn’t ever admit it. Her gaze softened a bit at the sight of him. Bryce was her best friend; he was the person who understood her best. He had been there when she found Gracie in the abandoned cottage in May. He knew the real Weetzie. But this Weetzie was different, wasn’t she? This was a new Weetzie, a new time. She looked at him a moment and nodded slightly when he asked if black was the new colour, “I think it fits,” she told him in a quiet tone. It wasn’t like the dull tone of voice she had been using all summer. The bored tone that she used when she didn’t want to deal with people. It was a soft and quiet tone, one that showed just how weak and fragile Weetzie still was. She knew, deep down, that Bryce was the only person she could ever really show how fragile she still was to. Everyone else she needed to be closed off toward. She needed that sense of isolation. Oddly enough, she needed it.

She watched as Bryce pulled something out of his pocket and said he got it for her in Paris, figuring she might like it. Curiosity riddled Weetzie’s face as she took the package from him, looking it over; “You know, you didn’t have to get me anything, Bryce.” Even as she said it, though, a small smile flickered on her face as she opened the package. It was the first time she had smiled in a long time. It felt so strange to have the corners of her mouth turned upward, even for the slightest moment. Weetzie looked over the gift, turning it over in her hands slowly. It was a small snowglobe with the Eiffel Tower in the center of it. Around the rim there were little pictures of all the sights to see while in Paris. The Arc de Triomph, the Louvre, the Moulin Rouge. Weetzie tilted her head and turned it upside down and then rightside up again and watched the snow fall around the Eiffel Tower. She turned the little wind up thing and music began playing, a soft melody. She listened to it for a bit and then looked back at Bryce, another small smile crossing her face; “It’s pretty, thank you.” Weetzie looked at the snowglobe again and then slipped it in her pocket, “How was Paris?” She asked him, turning a bit in her seat to look at him without having to turn her head.

Weetzie had changed, yes, but she hadn’t lost interest in her friends and family. She still cared about Bryce and her mum and her aunt and her grandparents; she still cared about her music. The thing about her that had changed was how she viewed everything. She had new priorities in her life and being wild and always happy was not one of them. She knew it was going to be an adjustment for everyone else to see her a lot more mellow… well, no. Weetzie wasn’t mellow. She was downright depressing, but she still had the ability to hold a conversation. Especially if holding a conversation meant holding one with her best friend. Her look had changed more than her personality had, and she did that because if she looked in the mirror she was reminded too much of Gracie. Gracie had mirrored her image after Weetzie. She couldn’t walk around in plaid, big boots, with coloured strands in her brown hair, and a smile on her face all the time anymore. Because that was who Gracie knew. Weetzie had to be someone else. She had to move on. At least, that’s what she kept telling herself. So, her new look was darker. Black hair, darker clothes, skulls, skelanimals… and then there was the nose ring. It was a completely new Weetzie.

((So, I figured we can have Weetzie and Bryce talk until Katy can get a reply up? Then when Katy can do that, we'll actually start the post?))

[Ashley Hill]

Ashley slowly began to peel the skin of the banana off, leaving the end hanging as she climbed through the stack of shoes in the laundry room. Almost 99.9 percent of the Hill’s house was cleaned. The one percent that wasn’t, was the utility room, which was now stacked high with shoes that either didn’t fit anyone, or was just being stored there. Kicking aside an old football cleat, Ashley looked over at the hangers on the wall. There were only a couple of shirts hanging up, that were mostly her fathers, and a couple of her mother’s most expensive suits, which were covered in plastic to stay away from the dog hair. Noticing a long, dark blue silk camisole, with lace trimmings on the front, hanging on the far end, Ashley tore it off the hanger, making her way through the piles of mess. Resting the shirt over her shoulder, Ashley chewed the last piece of banana, throwing the peel away in the trash. One of her dogs trotted into the room sniffing the trash can. Laughing, Ashley bent down to pet him softly. Stewie just panted lying down on the ground, rolling over on his back. Shaking her head, Ashley sighed as she bent down on her knees, to rub his stomach. “Hey Ash, I think Madison needs to go outside,” her father voice rang through, as he came into the kitchen. Ashley looked up from Stewie, to Madison noticing that she was pacing in front of the sliding door. “Was just going to do that, dad,” she responded unclipping the lock and pulling the door open. All three dogs shoot outside, going to various spots in the yard.

Closing the door back up, she clipped the lock shut, turning around to see her dad pouring himself some coffee into a cup. “So, what are you going to do today, honey,” he asked, now putting a couple of cream into the black liquid. Ashley was never too fond of coffee, but drank it from time to time. “I was planning on going to the mall today with a couple friends….Elina’s home right?” Ben Hill looked up from his cup with a questioning look. “No, she went over to Eliah’s apartment this morning.” Ashley glared at the mug wishing she had her own car to drive. “Why?” Ben took the mug, placing it on the kitchen table while taking a seat in the chair. Ashley plopped down in the one beside him, setting the shirt over the edge of the rest. “Well, I need her car to drive over there. I can’t take yours, since you need to go to the restaurant tonight, so there isn’t any car available.” Taking the little spinning toy from the cereal box, Ashley spun it around as her father reached across the table to grab a newspaper. “She’ll be home soon, Ash. She had to go to work today anyway,” he said calmly, opening the page up to the sports. Ashley looked up from the spinning cap, looking for anything interesting on the front page. “I wish I had my own car,” she grumbled knowing how he would respond to this. “Well then, you can save up your money and pay for one.” Ashley sighed stopping the spinning motion as she decided to just get ready and get dressed. “Well…I’ll just go get ready and wait. Bye daddy,” she said puffing as he shook her head, her blonde curls shaking about.

It didn’t take long for Elina to come home. Ashley was already dressed and ready as she headed down the stairs. “There you are!” she called out to her sister jumping over the last step as she looked for the car keys. “Yes, I’m here….Hey Ash! That’s my shirt!” she said touching the end of the silky material with a sigh on her lips. “I know! But I really like this shirt….and strangely it fits perfectly….now can I use your car?” she asked looking into her sisters blue eyes which stared back at her, with her hand on her hip. Elina just sighed handing he keys over. Ashley squealed lightly, taking the keys and hugging her sister. “I’ll make sure to get into a wreck!” she shouted over her shoulder heading out into the car.

The drive wasn’t too long, since the mall wasn’t to far away from where Ashley lived. Parking the car, she pressed the button while heading into the arcade where she was suppose to meet Weetzie and Bryce. Ashley didn’t know Weetzie well, but she was Bryce’s best friend, and seemed to need a little cheering up. Which is exactly what Ashley was good at. Noticing Bryce’s tall figure over the little kids, she grinned heading in their direction. She stopped in front of the two noticing that Weetzie had completely changed. Her hair was all one color, and her whole outfit didn’t have the individuality she remembered. “Hey guys,” she said quietly looking from Weetzie to Bryce with a small smile on her. “Sorry….my sister was hogging the car.” Ashley looked down into Weetzie hand noticing the snow glad that looked like Paris. Bryce must have bought for her while he was visiting his sister. “So….We could play some arcade games first? Or do you just want to hit the stores right away? I’m sure Bryce will have a ball going through all the different girl clothing stores,” she said with a small while stuffing her hand into her jean pocket for her wallet.

[Bryce Alexander]

"I know I didn't have to get you something, but what good would I be as a friend if I didn't," he replied with a smirk. The smile that spread across Weetz's face was more than worth deciding to buy her the gift. He'd have given her the Eiffel Tower itself if it meant seeing that subtle grin again. Watching her open the package, Bryce sat and nervously continued to take in the new person that Weetzie had become. He knew it was still Weetzie, but it didn't always seem like her when he would look over the dark style she had chosen. It was so unlike the old Weetzie that he had to keep reminding himself it was just a new set of clothes and some different coloured hair.

"Paris was Paris," he said, shrugging off not wanting go into a lot of depth. He'd rather talk about Weetzie and how she was dealing with everything. Of course, maybe she was avoiding that by bringing up Paris. With a slight sigh, Bryce managed to put aside his own desires to avoid Paris and talk about Weetzie by elaborating a bit. "Mum wasn't there," he began, still partially bitter at the thought. "Off with a new boyfriend of hers. But it was nice getting to see Brianne. She says hello, by the way." Bryce was momentarily lost in his memory of the trip. "Oh..." he began again, laughing in between spurts of words, "... one night... Brianne and I were out on the town. This guy, at least thirty years old started to hit on her. Before I knew what was happening, the guy was upside down in a nearby fountain, not even sure what happened to him. I think she might have cursed him as well." His laughing died down, and Bryce looked back at Weetz, wondering if she found it amusing. "Anyways..." he added, trailing off.

Bryce would have been sad that the momentary reunion between the two of them was cut short by another person, but when he saw that it was Ash, he smiled and greeted her in return. At first he thought that it was going to be a fun night, having two people he cared a lot about as his company. However, the sudden realization of the possible awkwardness sunk in. "Arcade... or shopping in all the girly stores is fine with me," he replied, trying to keep a light mood about them. "After all, I did pick my company, so I can't be too picky when it comes to the selection of stores." He grinned and then looked back and forth between the two.

[Weetzie O'Keeffe H7]

Weetzie fingered the snowglobe in her jacket pocket as she watched Bryce and listened to him talk about Paris. He didn’t seem too happy that his mother had been gallivanting off with her new boyfriend, and all Weetzie could do was give him a sympathetic look and rest her head in her hand which was being propped up by her elbow on the back of the bench. Bryce was now telling a story about some 30 year old hitting on his sister, and she managed a brighter smile than before as he laughed. It was great to see him, even though she probably wouldn’t admit it if asked. This was undoubtedly the most Weetzie had smiled all summer. It was as if she had this permanent look of disgust and annoyance on her face; but today she had smiled and she knew that only Bryce would be able to make her smile. She was about to say something when they were approached. Weetzie looked up and instantly her smile vanished, “Hi.” She managed toward Ashley’s greeting. Immediately, Ashley made some suggestions about what they could do, and Weetzie turned back around in her seat, slouching low.

It wasn’t that Weetzie hated Ashley, in fact she hadn’t ever really met her. She just… didn’t know how to act around her. The old Weetzie would have been accepting and would have been all over the idea of having a new friend. But this new Weetzie kind of resented the fact that someone else was trying to get into her life, even if they really weren’t. Even if they were only friends of a friend. Before she could give an answer, or think about an answer, Bryce answered. Weetzie looked down at her feet, scuffing the toe of her shoe against the floor, before looking up at Ashley, and the words just came out of her like… like word vomit; “Do I look like a girl who likes to go around in clothing stores, Ashley?” Weetzie stared Ashley straight in the eye before turning her gaze toward the front entrance of the shopping centre. Weetzie was never harsh like that, but she couldn’t help it. She had a feeling that being this way meant she was more prone to speak her mind without much caring about other people’s feelings. Actually, Weetzie had always been that way. She just hadn’t ever had anything negative to say to someone.

“Well,” Weetzie said again, looking back at the two, “I’ll do whatever you two decide on. Merlin knows I haven’t any better suggestions.” She bit back an added ‘And Merlin also knows I won’t be able to enjoy myself either way’ because she figured that wasn’t something Bryce would want to hear. She looked down and sunk lower in her seat, waiting for the two to decide on how to spend the dreadful evening.

[Ashley Hill]

Ashley pulled out her wallet from her pockets, clipping the end of the chain of the car keys on the end. The charms dangled in mid air, the house and car key clanking together. Putting the wallet back into her pocket, Ashley looked over at Weetzie as she greeted her. She didn’t seem too happy by the look in her dead green eyes as her body slouched forward. Was she mad about Ashley being here with them? Bryce had invited her in hopes of the three of them becoming friends and cheering Weetzie up. Normally, Ashley was good at making others feel happy, but she just felt awkward around this girl. Maybe because she was either sending off the whole, I don’t like you vibe, or just still depressed about her cousin’s death. Looking over at Bryce, Ashley smiled imagining the bored look on his face as the two girls looking through the racks of clothing in various stores. Maybe staying in the arcade would be more entertaining for all of them. Ashley was about to respond when Weetzie snapped harshly at her. The two stared at each other for a moment until the younger girl looked away. “Um…” Ashley began lost of words on what to say. Some people would want to defend themselves against such a harsh comment, but Ashley didn’t want to make things worse. She wanted Weetzie to like her. “Well…we could look for some music? Or maybe fool around with the different laptops or computers they have in one store,” she suggested again wondering if she should just leave Bryce and Weetzie together. It seemed that Weetzie just wanted to spend time with her best friend.

“Alright…scratch those ideas, how about we go into the main mall and look around until we all agree on a store to go into.” Glancing back and forth from Bryce and Weetzie, she kept a small smile on her face as the two got up from the bench they were sitting on. Leading the way, Ashley ducked out of the way of a couple of younger kids running by a virtual arcade game. “I didn’t realize that the mall would be this busy today,” she inclined, as the silence between the three gotten to her. Biting her lip, she continued out of the arcade, but stopped in her tracks noticing a large neon sign off in the distance advertising laser tagging. That would be fun. Noticing that Weetzie and Bryce already continued on without her, she caught up with them, stepping into their path and pointing to the sign. “We could do some laser tag? That would be fun. I haven’t gone laser tagging in years,” she said, looking from both of their faces with a hopeful twinkle in her brown eyes. Without even a word from the either of them, Ashley gently took their wrists, dragging them across the crowd. “It will be fun I promise! What’s not fun about pretending to hunt down your opponents and hit their vest as many times as you can?”

Letting go, Ashley leaned her hands across the counter as the man behind the desk came up with three vests and fake guns. Smiling, Ashley handed her money over taking one of the vests. Pull her head through the hole; she clipped the end tightly before grabbing her gun. “Just so you two know, I’m the queen of laser tag,” she said with a sly look as they got into their own vests. “How about we make this fun?” Ashley began tightening the straps on the sides. “Who ever gets hit the most has to pay for dinner?”

[Bryce Alexander]

Bryce instantly knew that it wasn't going to be easy to make everyone happy. Or, at least he quickly realized that Weetzie wasn't going to be happy regardless of what they did. He couldn't blame her though, as he had known how much recent events had worn on her once cheerful demeanor. However, he wasn't so sure that Ashley's peppy attempt to plan their night was the best thing for Weetzie. He admired Ash for trying, but also knew that she was only setting herself for Weetzie to become bitter. Maybe he should have known it was a bad idea to invite Weetz when Ash was there, but he figured that it was best to get her around other people again. She hadn't even opened up to him fully, and he wanted to do whatever he could to slowly bring her back or at least make her happy again. Her style and whatnot mattered little to him compared to her happiness; after all, she was his best friend.

Seeing that Ash was trying to step up and figure out the night's plans, Bryce kept quiet and nodded apathetically to each suggestion. What they did really didn't matter to him much. He was just excited to be with them and hopeful that it might turn out to be somewhat fun for them all. As Weetzie shot a rather snappy comment back at Ash though, he quickly bit his lip. Again, Bryce was hesitant to reply, so Ash broke the silence instead. Her idea sounded reasonable, and so Bryce began walking with Weetzie toward the mall. "It is a weekend," he commented when Ashley mentioned that it was quite busy.

They hadn't made it very far when Ash came jogging from behind to catch up. As soon as the excited words left her mouth, Bryce wished he could have put them back for her. He figured there was no way that Weetzie would want to run around shooting people with lasers. About to open his mouth in protest, Bryce was stopped when Ash grabbed Weetzie's and his wrists. She drug them over to the neon sign where the man was handing out vests for the next round of tag. With a worried look on his face, Bryce stood for a moment, glancing back and forth between Weetzie, who he was sure had a look of utter disgust on her face, and Ash, who seemed so excited to get the game started. "I guess I'll be on the red team," he said hesitantly. Ash had already paid for it, and so there was no use in wasting her money. "Come on, Weetz," he urged her. "You and I can take down the queen. You can be on red with me, and Ash, you can join the blue team." He finished strapping on his vest and then help his gun with one hand while waiting for Weetz to join him as the teams divided.

[Weetzie O'Keeffe H7]

Weetzie followed Bryce and Ashley out of the arcade as Ashley rambled off more things that they could do. Weetzie walked beside Bryce with her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes downcast on the floor. She knew that this was probably a bad idea. If it was just a night out with Bryce, that might have been different; she probably would have been able to enjoy herself. But with Ashley there…she might just end up shooting someone’s head. Her own or Ashley, depends on which seemed more appealing. Ashley had jogged back toward them and mentioned laser tag. Weetzie eyed Ashley who was so peppy and excited that it physically sickened Weetzie. Ashley grabbed Bryce’s and her wrist and drug them over to the laser tag place. The girl’s touch felt like acid on Weetzie’s skin but she couldn’t pull her hand away. Once they were there Weetzie stared at Ashley. And once more, words fell from her mouth before she could stop them. She pressed her hands together and gave Ashley a sarcastic smile, speaking in a high girlish voice; “Oh that sounds neat-o! I have an idea! Let’s play ‘shoot the annoying blonde!’” Immediately Weetzie glared and crossed her arms over her chest again, dropping the sarcastic smile that she had on her face.

Nonetheless, Weetzie sighed and rolled her eyes as she took the vest that Ashley had handed to her. She looked at Bryce who was encouraging her by saying she could be on his team and that was pretty much the only reason why she put the vest on and started to strap it up. She pulled her hair out from the vest and looked around as Bryce and Ashley talked. That was when she spotted him. Chris Crawford was walking up to some red head and undoubtedly giving one of his famous terrible lines, only to be given a dirty look and left alone and rejected. Weetzie laughed and shook her head at the older boy. Chris must’ve heard her because he looked over in their direction and then jogged over. He had gotten on her nerves two nights ago in Hogsmeade when he had practically forced her to go to the Hog’s Head with him and drink some butterbeer. He was the first interaction Weetzie had had all summer and even though he got on her last nerve, she knew he would give Ashley a run for her money. That could be very interesting to watch, very interesting to watch indeed. “Shot down again, Crawford?” Weetzie asked with a sneer. Chris took a step back, putting a hand to his heart, and looking wounded, causing Weetzie to chuckle. “Anyone beat me yet?” She knew the answer was no. She had really caused Chris to have to work to get her to go with him. She wasn’t a person who liked company now a days.

“Nah, Weetz, you know no one can make me feel like my ego was seriously bruised like you can.” Weetzie shrugged and straightened the stupid vest that she was wearing, remembering then that Bryce and Ashley were standing beside her. “Chris, you know Bryce and Ashley I presume, same year and all.” Chris smiled and winked at Ashley, making Weetzie have to bite her knuckles to stifle laughter. She turned to Bryce, “What do you think of Chris joining us? It’s only fair to have two on two and since Ashley here’s all on her lonesome…I’m sure Chris would be more than willing to join in on the fun, right Chris?” She looked at the Ravenclaw who looked confused a moment and then nodded, “Most definitely. No objections from me.” He bent closer to Weetzie’s ear and whispered, “This game has tackling right?” Weetzie smirked and rolled her eyes before looking back to Bryce, it was really his opinion that mattered. She could care less whether or not Ashley wanted Chris to join.

[Chris Crawford R7]

“You’re seriously going to go out tonight, Christopher?” Marion Crawford asked her seventeen year old son that evening. Chris mussed his hair in a leisurely way and managed a small shrug as he leaned against the doorframe, looking into the living room at his mother. He knew it was odd for him to be going out at any time, but he couldn’t help it. He was bored. They were in London, far from home, and Chris had left his guitar at home. Then again, he had been thinking they’d be returning that night. Obviously, though, they weren’t because of some delay or another with his father’s preferred form of transportation. Train. Chris didn’t know why his parents just wouldn’t let him apparate them to Newcastle, but then again Chris wouldn’t want to have tag alongs during apparition anyway. “This is new, Chris, you never go out when we’re at home.” She eyed him suspiciously as she closed her book, “You meet a girl? She live here in London?” Chris snorted and looked away, “Yeah, right. No, I’m just bored out of my skull.” The idea that Chris had met a girl who could hold his attention for longer than two seconds was one that was pretty much up there with unicorns and griffins…oh wait, those are real. Well, they weren’t real to him 7 years ago and that’s what he was going to go off of. Christopher Crawford would never fall in love ever again.

Marion eyed him a moment longer and then, as if coming to terms with the fact that Chris really hadn’t met any girl, sighed and nodded before returning to her book. “We’re leaving tomorrow afternoon, Chris, so make sure you’re home at a decent time tonight.” Chris raised his eyebrows and turned around to leave the doorframe, muttering under his breath; “This is not home.” The ‘home’ that his mother was referring to was his Aunt Ren’s small flat. They had been visiting for the day because it was her birthday and the plan had been that they would return the next night but…their train had something wrong with it so it became delayed or possibly cancelled (his father was at the station asking questions now). Either way, they would not be leaving tonight. Chris didn’t know what had possessed him to come to the dreadful place without his guitar but somehow, deep down, he knew it was because his mother would throw a fit about him not spending any time with his family. Chris shrugged to himself and opened the door, stepping out into the London air (which wasn’t that great) and heading into the city. He didn’t know where he wanted to go, but he figured he’d get somewhere. Chris didn’t think he’d be picking up any girls that night, but then again; this is Chris and if he sees a pretty woman he can’t pass her up.

About ten minutes later, Chris had found himself at the mall and walking around by the arcade and laser tag area. His eyes landed on a pretty red head, reading by the fountain, and immediately he knew that his ‘no pick up rule’ for tonight was going to fall through. Chris made his way over to her, taking a casual seat beside her and diving straight in; “May I see your hands?” The girl looked up at him wearily and then decided it was worth a shot, so she closed her book and placed her hands over Chris’s opened ones. He sent her a charming smile and then started to lower his hands slowly, the girl followed. Good. She was hooked. “Good, now, do you believe in magic?” The girl looked at him and shook her head as he linked his fingers together, motioning for her to do the same. When she had, Chris smiled even more; “Well, I’m going to show you a love spell. I want you to go like this,” he raised his pointer fingers on both hands so they were pressed together. The girl followed, still looking confused. Chris unclasped his hands, “Now, imagine that the taller one is me and the shorter one is you. I’m going to have to go away soon, so will you please separate your fingers about an inch apart?” The girl did so and immediately Chris started to move his right hand in a circle around hers, saying all the while; “After time, while I’m gone, you’ll start to feel us coming closer…and closer…and closer together until…” he stopped moving his hand in a circle and looked at her fingers, “we’re together again.” He sent her another smile and for the moment Chris thought she looked impressed.

But then the girl rolled her eyes and grabbed her book as she stood; “Go practice your magic tricks on a four year old.” She stalked off, leaving Chris to sulk in his rejection. Or, he would have, if he hadn’t heard a sudden laugh from across the way. Chris looked up and around until he found the source of laughter. Weetzie O’Keeffe. That girl was ruthless, but nonetheless Chris stood and jogged over to her and her friends (who Chris noticed were Ashley Hill and Bryce Alexander, both in Hufflepuff and in his year). Before he was even close to them, Weetzie asked if he was shot down again and Chris put his hand to his heart and looked offended before smiling at her and shrugging. She knew him all too well, and they had only met once before. “Nah, Weetz, you know no one can make me feel like my ego was seriously bruised like you can,” he said in reply to her question about someone beating her in shooting him down. Chris eyed the vest she was wearing. She was about to play laser tag. He suddenly started to silently pray that she wouldn’t invite him along. Christopher Crawford did not play laser tag. In fact, he rather sucked at it. Just as he suspected, Weetzie invited him along. And the only reason he said, “Most definitely. No objections from me.” Was because he would be on Ashley’s team, and Ashley was most definitely a pretty girl. He leaned over and whispered to Weetzie, “This game has tackling, right?” Weetzie merely rolled her eyes, but he knew she was amused. So they stood. Awaiting his verdict.

[Ashley Hill]

Ashley fiddled with the end of the strap of her vest as the other two began to put their own equipment on. Bryce was encouraging Weetzie to play along, but the younger girl didn’t seem to excited to play. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea? There she was going again, doubting the decisions she made for the three of them, but Ashley didn’t understand why Weetzie had such an attitude toward her. Pulling away from her thoughts at another one of her snappy comments, Ashley continued to glare at Weetzie. She wasn’t going to let this girl run over her like this. Bryce had to understand. Slamming her gun on the counter, Ashley’s brown eyes never left Weetzie’s face. “What is your problem?” she began pausing she quickly glanced to Bryce. “I have done nothing but try to make this fun for you, but apparently all you want to do is go off and feel sorry for yourself.” Picking her gun off from the counter, she noticed that the sales clerk was listening to everything, but it didn’t bother her too much. “Playing laser tag sounds more fun then sitting on that bench and feeling sorry for you.” Ashley crossed her arms across her own chest, her eyes clearly showing annoyance in them. “I didn’t think you were so stereotypical toward blondes. At least I’m not saying anything about your dark poser style.” Uncrossing her arms, Ashley shrugged wondering if her comment was too much. She knew Weetzie was going to continue bickering with her about it.

There was silence between them as Ashley leaned her back against the counter. Weetzie was still putting on her vest, but still had that, ‘I don’t want to be here’ face on. Looking away, Ashley stared at Bryce who seemed kind confused about the girl’s snappy remarks. Sighing, she stood up straight, tugging once again on his wrist, dragging him closer to her. Once he was within close distance, Ashley leaned closer to him, whispering so Weetzie couldn’t hair. “Are you sure you want to go through this? I can just leave right now so it can be just the two of you,” she whispered leaning back to look at the expression on his face. Ashley really didn’t want to leave, but rather hang out with Bryce more. This evening wasn’t about her though and Weetzie needed Bryce more than Ashley did. Looking up as Weetzie seemed to greet another guy and Ashley groaned seeing it was Chris Crawford. This would be quite an eventful night if Weetzie invited him to play laser tag. Silently hoping she wouldn’t, Ashley shoulders slumped hearing those words flow out of the younger girl’s mouth. Staring blindly at Chris as he winked at her, she smiled slightly looking away off into the distance. Weetzie question wasn’t exactly directed toward her, so she didn’t answer.

When Bryce seemed alright with the idea, Ashley looked over at the sales clerk helping other people with vests. “Could we have one more vest and gun please?” she asked, the guy nodding as he handed her the extra vest. Smiling, Ashley handed it toward Chris, waiting as he pulled it on. “Alright…let’s go….” She said, trying to sound excited about it. There were two doors that each team went in through. Waiting by the blue door next to Chris, she watched as it slowly began to open. Once they were inside the dark room, Ashley looked around before turning around at Chris. “Alright our strategy is; divide and conquer…you take Bryce and I’ll take Weetzie.” Before she even took a step forward, Ashley turned back around on her heel. “Any funny business, and I’ll make sure you won’t have such a perfect nose.”

[Bryce Alexander]

Bryce hated having to be a buffer, but that was exactly what he was serving as. Why everyone couldn't just get along was beyond him. It must have been a girl thing, he figured. Guys usually just threw a couple of punches and it was over. There was none of this silent treatment or awkward verbal jabs at each other. Just when he thought that they might just be able to get the game started and forget about the tension, Ash had apparently had enough. She snapped at Weetzie, and Bryce wished he could just take her words and force them back down her throat. He had thought Ash was understanding in that Weetz would obviously not be the happiest, but she obviously was becoming more agitated, enough so to let it be known. Before Weetzie could protest though, she had noticed another guy, one whom Bryce recognized, and he approached the group.

Chris Crawford. Oh, Bryce knew Chris alright. He was one of those guys who easily wore on Bryce's nerves, but he was still civil toward him. Bryce was rather easygoing though when it came to tolerating others. Chris was someone who could tend to take a lot of needing to be tolerated. Bryce nodded a greeting, rather than saying anything. Then, Weetz asked if he could join. Bryce shrugged. As long as it meant Weetzie might be a bit happier, he was fine with it. "Makes it even then, I suppose."

As Ash pulled him out of ear shot, Bryce could sense her frustration. He really didn't want Ash to leave though. As much as he wanted to be able to spend some time with Weetzie too, he didn't want left with just her and Chris. He figured he probably have to pry Chris off of her, as he was quite a flirt, and Bryce wasn't sure if Weetzie was in the flirting mood. She did, however, seem to prefer Chris's presence over Ashley's. "No... don't go," he let out with a sigh. "Stay, and it will be fun. I promise." Ash had apparently already made her decision though as she was purchasing another jacket for Chris. Bryce smiled. The idea of competition was enough to keep Ash in the game.

It was time for the teams to divide, and Bryce was glad to just get the game started. How much dispute could actually occur if they were busy playing a game, he figured. "No funny business, Crawford," he shouted over his shoulder, catching Ashley's eye. He gave her a smile and then caught up with Weetzie. "Thanks for tolerating Ash," he said as he prepared his gun for the game. "You know, though, she's really trying to help." He knew Weetzie wouldn't want to hear this, but he felt that he at least needed to stick up for Ash too. It bothered him, having to defend each of them to the other. He let out another sigh and then looked down at Weetzie. "The Queen's all yours," he said with a smirk. "I've got Crawford." Bryce held up his hand for a high five from Weetzie and the bell sounded that meant the game was started. Lights faded, lasers flashed around him, and Bryce headed off into the maze of darkness, glad to momentarily escape the tension.

[Weetzie O'Keeffe H7]

“YOU are my problem you overly peppy washed out blonde.” Weetzie replied with a quick glare at Ashley as the girl started to criticise Weetz’s attitude. Honestly, the girl didn’t get it. She didn’t understand that no amount of running around and shooting people with laser guns was going to help Weetzie feel better. She didn’t understand that Weetzie wasn’t whole anymore and the only thing that could perhaps make her a little bit whole, she had to share with an annoyance. She just didn’t get it. With a quick scowl, Weetzie’s eyes pierced Ashley; “My dark poser style? As opposed to what? Your wannabe prep giggly overly hyperactive attitude that makes people want to throw up? Oh, gee, I wonder which I would want to choose.” The sarcasm was quite apparent in Weetzie’s voice as she crossed her arms over her chest and sent Ashley a deadly glare. She travelled her gaze to Bryce who she glared at briefly before turning her gaze away. She had started to strap on her vest as Ashley whispered something Bryce and by now Weetzie had spotted Chris. He made his way over and they were well into their conversation by the time that Weetzie returned to the fact that she was at the mall with someone she’d rather not be. But now that Chris would be joining them, it would even out surely. Chris gave Weetzie a pleading look before he strapped his vest on and fiddled with the laser gun. Chris and Ashley entered the place and Weetzie turned to Bryce, obviously annoyed with their company.



She eyed Bryce and then turned to face him, “I don’t want her help, Bryce. She doesn’t know me. She has never made an effort to get to know me. The only reason why she even gives a damn about me now is because she’s tripping all over you and I’m your best friend. She doesn’t understand what I’m going through and if she did – she wouldn’t be acting the way she is, insulting me. Yes, granted, I’m being unfair to her and I have an attitude. But I have an excuse.” Tears clouded Weetzie’s blue eyes as she looked at her best friend, “I practically lost my daughter, Bryce. And no one but you really understands that. I know she’s just trying to make me feel better, but she can’t. The only person who even has a small chance of doing that is you…and I can’t even spend one day alone with you.” She stared at him for a moment, her tears trailing down her cheeks before she wiped at them and got her gun ready. A heavy sigh escaped her lips and she turned to head into the area, “Let’s just get this bloody thing over with.”

They entered the area as Weetzie pulled her long black hair over her shoulder. She gave Bryce a high five, smiling softly, and then turned and headed in the opposite direction. The lights dimmed and the game began. Her shoes made no sound as she made her way through the maze, her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she kept an eye out for a flash of blonde hair. She wasn’t paying attention to the ground and her foot caught on something, sending her sprawling on the ground. She grunted and then turned to see what she had tripped over, ready to lash out at them. “Sorry! Oh, Merlin, I’m so sorry Weetzie, are you okay?” Chris crawled over to her and lifted her up with gentle hands. Weetzie smiled and snickered, “Yeah, I’m fine. Are you…Dare I say Chris Crawford is hiding?” Chris smirked and looked guilty as he stood, pulling Weetzie up by her elbow. She straightened her vest as Chris replied, “Yeah. I suck at laser tag…” he trailed off and looked to his right for a moment before leaning to whisper in her ear, “Hide in the shadows, someone’s coming and I think it’s Ashley.” Weetzie kissed Chris’ cheek, a grateful gesture to show that she was glad he was there and hid in the shadows as he huddled back in the corner he had been hiding in earlier. Sure enough, Ashley came around the corner a moment later. Weetzie gripped her gun and waited.

[Chris Crawford R7]

The verdict was in. Chris was to play. Great, he thought with an inward sigh but a smile at Weetzie. She would really be the only reason why he would play. She didn’t look like she was enjoying the time she was spending with Bryce and Ashley, so what else could brighten the outing except Chris Crawford joining in on the fun? Exactly. Chris took the vest and gun from Ashley and pulled them on, fixing them the way he had watched Weetzie do it. Once he thought he was finished, he squeezed Weetize’s arm comfortingly and then fell into step beside Ashley. Right off the bat, she started giving orders and Chris smirked; “Mmm. I like a girl who’s aggressive.” Chris growled at her and then managed a snicker as she told him she’d break his perfect nose. Both her and Bryce were threatening him. Really, Chris was harmless. It wasn’t like he was going to attack Ashley. He was just an arrogant guy who liked to make snide comments. Nonetheless, he followed Ashley’s orders, and he didn’t plan on doing much more than making snide comments. Chris really wasn’t a bad guy –he was just severely misunderstood. He let out a low whistle as they entered the maze and the lights dimmed. Immediately, Ashley went off in one direction and Chris was left to go off in another. He took the opposite direction that Ashley had taken, his gun gripped loosely in his right hand as he slunk along the wall quietly.

He really didn’t like playing laser tag. He was actually rather terrible at this game. The only way he could actually survive in this game, was by hiding. But since he hadn’t played it since he was a kid, he was certain hiding would be a bit more difficult now that he was some inches taller than he had been. Nevertheless, Chris found a dark corner and curled up into as small a ball as he could, setting his gun beside him on the floor noiselessly. He sat there for he didn’t know how long in silence, listening to his surroundings for someone approaching his area. He hadn’t realized that Weetzie could be just as quiet as he had been so when she turned the corner and tripped over his foot, he had to choke back a cry. She grunted and Chris immediately realized who he had tripped, “Sorry! Oh, Merlin, I’m so sorry Weetzie, are you okay?” He was immediately at her side, making sure she wasn’t hurt or anything. Weetzie smiled and said she was fine before asking if he was hiding. Chris knew that if she could see his face clear enough, it would have been red; “Yeah. I suck at laser tag…” he was about to go on about how the last time he had played he had gotten out within the first 30 seconds, but something caught his attention to their right. He cocked his head and looked over into the darkness for a bit before leaning and whispering in Weetzie’s ear, “Hide in the shadows, someone’s coming and I think it’s Ashley.” Weetzie then kissed his cheek, causing him to smirk, and she disappeared into the shadows as did he.

Sinking back into the corner, he waited for the person to stop in front of his area and then…the admonishing began about him cowering in a corner. He looked past Ashley and at the shadows Weetzie had disappeared to, wondering how long until Weetzie would tackle the girl.

[Ashley Hill]

Ashley gazed off into the distance, her brown eyes tracing the letters of a sign for advertising some new beauty product. Her words hung in the air, leaving a sensation of guilt in Ashley’s throat. She shouldn’t have had said such things, but this girl wasn’t even giving her a chance. Hearing the venom in Weetzie’s voice when she finally broke the silence, Ashley turned her gaze back to the girl. That honestly couldn’t be the reason why Weetzie had such a strong disliking toward her. Being blonde wasn’t any kind of reason to hate someone of the bat. That was just being prejudice, and Weetzie didn’t seem to be that type of girl. Not even saying a word, she just listened to her harsh tone of voice, her eyes never leaving Weetzie’s. Ashley’s throat closed up, her mind racing with different insults to defend her self. Her mouth opened slightly, but closed as Ashley just turned back in the direction of the sign. They weren’t going to get anywhere with fighting, and Ashley wanted to help Weetzie, not argue with her. But this girl wasn’t even going to let her in one bit, so Ashley really couldn’t do anything about it expect accept it. Though, she couldn’t let Weetzie think she won. “That honestly can’t be the reason why you don’t like me so much Weetzie…” Ashley began, turning back toward Weetzie with calm eyes. “And you clearly show that you don’t want my help, or my presence, but I do care how you feel…and I’m really sorry for what happened.”

Fixing the strap on her vest as they waited for the door to open she pulled barely, tightening the vest. Looking up upon hearing Bryce’s voice, Ashley stared at him, smiling gratefully before returning her attention back to the door. Chris responded to her words, growling at her. Ashley’s eyebrow rose as she looked at him. “Really? So you like a girl who can actually kick your but at anything, Chris?” she asked, with a small smirk on her face. Stepping into the darkness she looked over her shoulder at Chris. “Let’s just get this game going.” Quickly heading off down isle, Ashley held the gun tentatively up, watching carefully around her. The hardest thing about laser tag was that everything was dark, which made it hard to see your opponents. One thing that anybody knew about Ashley was that she was very competitive. Halting on her heels hearing footsteps, Ashley quickly dodged for cover. She squatted down on her knees, leaning against the wall covered by darkness. Noticing Bryce’s tall figure walk through, she prepared her hand gun. Aiming for his chest, Ashley pulled the trigger watching the lights on the vest light up. Grinning, she stood quickly from the ground. Before she could even make a run for it, Bryce had already hit her own vest. Glaring at him playfully, she hastily went for cover, running down the opposite isle.

Slowing her pace down knowing that Bryce wasn’t following her she turned around corner. Where was Chris…or Weetzie? Stumbling over something, Ashley quickly grabbed the wall for support. Her heart was racing fast as she looked down at the ground, seeing Chris cowering in the corner. “What are you doing?” Ashley hoarse voice whispered, stepping back so he could stand up. “The point of the game is to actually shoot the other teams vest. I already got Bryce, but he got me back…have you see Weetzie?” Looking around to make sure the coast was clear Ashley let her hand fall down to her side. Running her fingers through her curly hair, she looked back at Chris waiting for his reply.

[Bryce Alexander]

Bryce ducked from one hiding place to another, sure to protect his back with the wall. His gun was ready in his one hand, and he used the other to guide him through the darkness. Seeing some people from the opposing team huddled ahead of him, Bryce sent a few laser shots their way. He watched as the group scattered, realizing that they were being attacked. Bryce laughed quietly to himself. He was about to climb one of the ramps that lead into the enemy's base when he heard his vest start to beep, indicating that he had been shot. Immediately, his eyes flew to the head of long blonde hair that he recognized running away. "Darn you, Ash," he muttered under his breath before sending his own laser her way. He couldn't tell if it was a successful hit, but he kept on going, making sure to be more careful.

Now well into enemy territory, Bryce was more on the defensive than the offensive. There were opponents surrounding him, but he had a decent hiding spot. He just needed to wait until the right time came to make an attack. His eyes darted from corner to corner, still trying to adjust to the strobe lights and darkness that made it so difficult to see. Spotting two people with their backs turned, he shot them both, sure that they were hits. Then, he heard Ashley's familiar voice from below him. Bryce curiously peeked his head out over the wall, down to the main level where he saw Ash standing over a cowering Chris. Bryce was too amused at the scene to even bother shooting. He simply watched for a minute or so as Ash seemed irritated with her teammates tactics.

Finally, Bryce figured it was worth giving up his hiding spot. "I don't know where Weetz is, but I'm up here." Quickly, Bryce took the best shots he could at Ash and Chris. His angle made it hard, and he wasn't sure if he got them or not. He was about to run away since he had come out of hiding, but something caught his eye below. Without much warning, he saw a blur heading toward Ash and Chris. The lighting made it hard to see exactly what was happening though...

[Weetzie O'Keeffe H7]

Weetzie waited, crouched in the darkness, her eyes tuned into the black of the laser tag arena. Her gun lay still on the floor, her hand barely touching it. She wouldn’t need that blasted thing, not if she was going to do what she had wanted to do the moment Ashley had entered the stupid mall. Weetzie waited, quiet and still, as Ashley made her way toward Chris. Her anger simmered slightly as she saw the blonde walk right past her hiding place. How could this girl come in and think she had the right to help Weetzie when she didn’t even know Weetzie? Not only that, but she was getting in the way of her friendship with Bryce. Or, okay, maybe she really wasn’t and Weetzie was just seeing it that way – but could you blame her? Everything had been alright, except the fact that Gracie had died and Weetzie had changed drastically, but at least then she could have reverted back into her old self with the help of Bryce… but now that Ashley seemed to think it was her place to jump right in between them – all hopes of that had disappeared with the old Weetzie. Anyway, Weetzie waited as Ashley berated Chris – this only cause Weetzie’s anger to grow from a simmer to a boil – and she started to creep forward to tackle Ashley when there came a voice from above. Bryce’s voice.

A smile played across Weetzie’s face as she heard the sounds of lasers being shot and then as if compelled by a force completely uncontrollable by herself, she charged at the figure of Ashley Hill. As she grabbed the older girl around the waist, quite like Bryce had done her at the Valentines Day ball, and tackled her to the ground, Weetzie let out a small cry that would have sounded like a war cry if it didn’t sound so manic. She laughed at herself before pinning Ashley to the ground and turning deadly again. Weetzie wasn’t weak, she had never been weak – she grew up in a family with at least 5 boy cousins, how could she be weak? She knew that Ashley wasn’t weak either, though, and so she wasn’t surprised when Ashley rolled them over and was now pinning Weetzie to the floor. Weetzie struggled beneath Ashley before lifting her head quickly and knocking it against Ashley’s sending her sprawling back a bit. Before Weetzie could charge at Ashley again, though, Chris grabbed her around the waist with both arms and pulled her away, muttering in her ear; “As hot as it would be to see a chick fight, Weetzie, I don’t think you want to get charged with murder of a dumb blonde.” Weetzie growled, still struggling against Chris’s grasp.

“Alright, alright!” Weetzie finally called, seemingly giving up as she fell limp in Chris’s arms. He stood there a moment and then let go, watching the sixth year wearily. She straightened her shirt and then turned as if she were going to say something to Chris only to lash back around and tackle Ashley again, this time against a wall. Weetzie yanked at Ashley’s hair, letting all of her anger out; quite glad that Chris decided it was fruitless to try and tear Weetzie from Ashley. He looked to Bryce and said, “You’ve got one of the greatest girls fighting over you, Alexander, you should be flattered.”

[Ashley Hill]

Ashley watched Chris closely waiting for him say something. Well it was apparent that he wasn’t good at playing laser tag. Sighing, Ashley’s fingers dragged through her blonde hair. The room was strangely quiet, except for the sound of laser’s being shot, but there was also that smirk on Chris’s face. Ashley’s eyebrow rose jumping as the red lights flashed brightly on the vest. Looking frantically around, her brown eyes squinted in the dark. She could hear Bryce’s voice close by. Holding her gun up high, Ashley’s eyes looked from each corner. Before she could even react, someone was tackled her to the ground. Screaming loudly as her body hit the ground hard the gun flew half way across the room, smashing against the wall. Ashley looked up stunned, seeing Weetzie face against the laser lighting. There was a fire in the young girl’s eyes as she pinned Ashley’s arms into the ground. Squirming, she resisted the urge to spit into Weetzie’s face. The sixth year was stronger than Ashley thought. “What are you doing?” she screamed over the voices, thrashing her legs about. This was ridicules! What kind of person who tackle her without meaning out of nowhere? There were no rules in laser tag that had any hard core contact. Rolling over quickly, Ashley pinned the girl’s arms against the floor, her chest heaving rapidly from shock.

It wasn’t long before Weetzie had head-butted Ashley causing her to fly backwards. Leaning against the wall, Ashley grabbed onto her throbbing forehead as Chris held the younger girl back. “What was that for?” Ashley asked standing up from the ground. Her right still clutched to her head, but her eyes never left the other Hufflepuffs. Was Ashley Weetzie’s way to express her anger? Or maybe there was more than just her cousin’s death. Hearing the word dumb blonde, Ashley glared at Chris. “I’m not a dumb blonde! So stop stereotyping me! It gets really annoying.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she began breathing deeply, looking at the three people around her. Then it just hit her. Were they fighting over Bryce? She couldn’t even ponder the idea more before feeling her body smashed against the wall, her hair being pulled like a child. A shrill escaped Ashley’s throat as she watched the younger girl speak at Bryce. “You’re taking this way to far Weetzie.” Rubbing her head, Ashley stood still, every part of her body wanting to defend. It took all her will to not even lay a finger on Weetzie. Huffing, Ashley ran her fingers through her hair before straightening out her jeans.

“I’m leaving….” She began picking her gun off from the floor. Unbuckling her jacket, Ashley shoved both things into Weetzie chest, causing the girl to take a couple steps back. “If you don’t want any help, then fine….but don’t be angry at Bryce because he only trying to help you. You should be grateful for what you have now.” Looking sideways at boy her face was set hard in stone. Did he even understand that two girls were just fighting over him a few seconds ago? She’ll leave Bryce to figure that out for himself. Turning sharply on her heels, Ashley quickly made her way toward the exit sign. She dug the key keys out of her pocket, quit shocked that she hadn’t taken the fight further. Ashley could cross Weetzie off her list of friends.

[Bryce Alexander]

If it weren't for the moment of complete shock, Bryce wouldn't have taken a few seconds to stare as he watched Weetzie collide furiously with Ashley who was quite oblivious to what was happening. After he gained his composure though, Bryce ran from the balcony he was on, practically jumping down the platforms until he reached the ground level where he saw Chris watching the two girls wrestle on the ground. It was dark, but Bryce could still see that Weetzie was quite upset and Ash still rather confused and taken back by everything.

In the moment that he went forward to stop the two from killing each other, he saw Chris grab Weetzie while Ash was laying next to the wall, seemingly a bit dazed by the fight. There were a few words exchanged, none of which were Bryce's, and then Chris let Weetzie go. It wasn't long though before she was right back at Ashley. This time, it was quick though, and Ash managed to escape in a hurry. Almost everything that was said didn't even register with Bryce as he was still in shock. He watched Ash disappear and then caught part of What Chris was saying to him. It was somewhat out of nowhere, but Bryce was pretty sure Chris was referring to Weetzie. He couldn't help but sense a sort of bond between them. That was perfectly fine with him though. If Weetzie had found someone that she might open up to, Bryce was happy for her. Apparently he had been blind to how much it really had affected her with him having Ashley as a friend. The last thing Bryce wanted to do was hurt Weetzie.

"I... I don't even know what just happened," he finally managed, stepping closer to Weetzie. Part of him wished that Chris wouldn't have been there, but there was nothing he could do about that. It seemed he might have been able to get more out of Weetzie if the two of them were alone, but it was as it was. "That was pretty crazy, Weetz," he said, a sort of sarcastic, quick laugh escaping his mouth. It was so unexpected that he really didn't know what to say or how to act. "Why don't we go home now," he added, putting his hand on Weetzie's shoulder. Bryce gave Chris a subtle glare, wondering what he was making of all this. Perhaps though Chris could be a positive thing for Weetzie, but Bryce wasn't too keen on trusting the guy. After all, he was known to be somewhat reckless.