Better Than Onions

CHAPTER 4

"And then she was like, ew nerd get away from me. And so I left" Snape finishes his story, his eyes shining with exuberance. 

It was a typical Monday morning; Snape narrating an unnecessarily long story about his last interaction with Fiona, me and Dumbledore both barely listening as we yawn tiredly into blank spaces. 

"Isn't that great?" Snape presses on excitedly. 

"Yeah great" Dumbledore says. He yawns. "Isn't that just like, um, every other conversation you've had with her?"

If you could even call it a conversation. Usually it was just Fiona yelling and Snape staring lovingly at her till she barges past him.

"No!" Snape protests. "This time she actually looked at me!"

"Wow... what an improvement..."

"Dumbledore!"

I zone out of their argument, and my hand subconsciously creeps towards my phone. It's something I've been doing a lot recently, checking my phone. It's been four days - almost a week - since the concert, and Harry hasn't contacted me once. 

A part of me tells me that I don't care. That I wasn't like those other girls, practically throwing themselves at him just for a second of his attention. 

But another part, a smaller, insistent part that refused to be shoved down, did care. Cared very much. More than I should.

"Julie?" I look up to see Dumbledore and Snape both staring intently at me. 

Snape frowns, "Are you even listening?"

"Wha- of course I am!" I shove my phone back into my pocket and lean forward, trying to seem interested. "You're talking about Fiona, right?"

The look they both gave me told me that no, they were not talking about Fiona.

Dumbledore stares at me worriedly. "Are you okay? You've been a bit out of it these past few days"

"Mhm" Snape agrees. 

"I'm fine! I- " I'm cut off by a loud, ugly laugh. Turning my head to follow the noise, my heart sinks as my eyes land on Edward, standing very close - too close - to a girl with brown hair. 

My intuition, along with the lovesick look he's giving her, tells me the girl is Bella. 

"Great" I mutter as Bella places a hand on his chest. "Let's see if this day can get any worse"

***

It did. 

My first lesson was maths. Maths is bad enough on its own, but maths in the morning? That was pure torture. I stumbled through equations and worksheets, and by the time the bell had rung for second period, I was seriously considering pushing my table over and jumping out the window to spend the rest of eternity with Tarzan in the jungle.

I take my seat by the window in the History classroom, and get out my pencil case.  

"This lesson better go quickly" I grumble quietly to myself. 

I spot Fiona and her evil minions walking in and slump in my seat, pulling my hood up to hide my face. I really don't have the energy to deal with her today. 

As they walk past me, I catch some of their conversation.

"Did you see that new girl in the morning today?" Fiona sneers.

Don't sit behind me. Don't sit behind me. Sit anywhere else but not behind me.  I pray.

Of course, they sat behind me.