Love, Lexi Jade

Chapter 5: 'Cause we're just pretending

I was deep in thought scribbling down the instructions to a potion for class when a sudden knock on my door startles me out of my thoughts, causing me to jerk my arm up and smear some ink across my cheek. Reluctantly, I get up out of my seat to answer the door. Why would Cho and Melanie knock? This is their dorm just as much as it's mine.

"Who are you supposed to be, Tom Brady?" Cedric mused as soon as he took in the image of my face after I opened the door. That is not Cho and Melanie.

"Who's that? And how did you get in the Ravenclaw common room?" I ask.

"Muggle american football player, and Cat." I awkwardly nod at him. "Can I come in?"

I pause and eye Cedric suspiciously before muttering, "sure", returning back to my seat.

"Cool," he says following after me. "You know, you should take a break from homework every once in a while. You might explode one day."

I gently dip my quill into my ink and resume my writing, "Cedric Diggory, what are you doing here?"

"Did you not read my note? I'm taking you to Fred and George's party."

"Oh, I'm not going to that," I replied, not looking up from my homework. Cedric grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him, and used his thumb to wipe the ink I had on my cheek.

"Uh yeah, you are," he says, dropping his hand.

"One, Tiff is gonna be there, and two, parties
are in the contract."

"Sorry, Cedric, I can't" I tried.

"A deal's a deal," he replies before Cho and Melanie burst into my dorm. Oh thank goodness. They can tell him I need to do homework with them.

"Oh hey Diggory, what's up? How's quidditch?" Cho asks. Cho was an amazing seeker which just so happened to be the same position that Cedric played.

"Pretty good, Chang. Your team holding up okay?" Cedric replied. Cho simply nods, throwing her bag on her bed.

"Do you need something?" Melanie asks, making her way to her bed to unpack her own homework.

"I'm just here to pick up Lexi Jade, take her to a friend's party. I'll keep an eye on her the whole time and I'll bring her back early. You guys alright if I take her?" Is Cedric really asking my friends permission as if I didn't just answer myself?

"Yes," both Cho and Melanie reply simultaneously.

"No!" I argue quickly, my two fellow roommates whip their heads to me in confusion. "I can't go, I have to help Melanie with Transfiguration."

"I think Melanie and I can handle some homework," Cho corrected as she forced me out of my chair. Despite me eyeing her with wide eyes and rapidly shaking my head she continues. "Why don't you go have fun with your friend Cedric Diggory? Get dressed, get changed, you look like a crazy lady." Before I could protest, Cho shoves me into our closet, closing the door and starts picking out an outfit for me.

"No getting drunk. No drugs. No hands," I hear Melanie warn Cedric outside the closet.

"You got it," he says cooly. I'm about to turn to Cho to try and convince her to let me stay when she interrupts me by shoving a simple white collared black dress and blue jacket in my arms, abruptly leaving me in the closet to get dressed. I hear my two friends telling Cedric to meet me outside in the common room. Realizing that there was absolutely no way I'd get out of this, I threw on the outfit, and hurriedly tied my hair into a messy ponytail with my favorite scrunchie.

-------------------------------------------------------

"I don't know, Cedric. I-"

"No, nope we're going, it's in the contract," he cuts me off as he drags me to the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. I drop my hand from his and begin to redo my ponytail. "What are you doing? Give me this." Cedric snatches my scrunchie out of my hair and slips it onto his own wrist.