Deal-Breaker [Ron Weasley]

17. Loud Silences

"Ron!" Celeste and I gasped in unison, Celeste's hand dropping from the side of her face.

Ron turned to me suspiciously and narrowed his eyes. "Did you just... hit her?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but of course, Celeste had to interject.

"Yes! She did!" she cried out, waving her finger at me accusingly. "For no reason!"

"No reason!" I shot back, turning to Ron. "Ron, she was using you! She obliv—"

"Enough!" Ron boomed. "Both of you!"

Celeste and I looked at each other hesitantly. Neither of us expected him to react that way.

"I've had enough of the both of you!" Ron shouted, his face growing redder by the minute.

"Ron, you don't understand, you have to let me explain—" I tried to say.

"Save it," he hissed, holding his hand up to me. His eyes softened for a moment before he said, "You know, I would've expected this from Celeste. But not from you."

With that, he turned and slammed the door behind him, and Celeste and I were left alone in my room, the two of us shocked beyond words.

The tears stung in my eyes and the lump formed in my throat, and I knew Celeste needed to leave before I embarrassed myself further. I exhaled shortly and lifted my arm to point toward the door. "Get. Out."

Celeste smirked and pranced out the door, obviously satisfied with what she seemed to have caused.

Once the door shut behind her, I couldn't help as the tears rolled freely down my face.

Ron had been in love with me.

Key word: had.

All that time I thought there was no possible way he could've liked me back.

But he did.

I lifted my hand to my neck and grabbed on to the silver necklace he had given me on Christmas tightly, staring down at it through teary eyes.

That could've been the last thing I had of him. The real him.

I have to live the rest of my life with a best friend who hardly remembers me. I have to pretend like I don't know that he used to be in love with me.

If he even still is my best friend.

~

"She did what?" cried Fred once I finished recounting everything at breakfast. His jaw was hanging open much like Ron's had been earlier.

"I know," I sighed, not lifting my eyes from the empty plate that sat untouched in front of me.

"Oh my god, and you slapped her," remarked Ginny, biting back a laugh. "Wish I could've seen that."

"Yeah, where is she now?" George asked, looking around the Great Hall anxiously in search of Celeste.

Our eyes simultaneously landed on her, down at the other end of the long table holding an ice pack pressed against her cheek. She seemed to be re-enacting the story to a group of girls who were intently listening to every small detail.