mind over matter - theodore nott

52. stay away (it's like that)

STAY AWAY (IT'S LIKE THAT)

When Florence had found Lenora kissing Theo, she'd immediately decided that it was the end for their friendship. No way she was going back to her after that. She'd done the unspeakable and there was nothing she would be able to do to regain Florence's love and trust. It took a lot to earn those aspects of Florence, and when they were broken, it was normally not the end; that was because Florence was a pathological people pleaser — but there was no going back from that, no matter how big Florence need to please people was.

She wasn't going to do anything about it, not just yet, the furthest she was currently going was ignoring Lenora — which proved to be harder than she'd imagined, but she made it work.

She was still trying to get her head around the fact that it had actually happened. It wasn't as much as a surprise as it was expressed, because it was Lenora, and Florence had always expected that from her; she expected it from everyone.

So, that was why she'd been avoiding Lenora all day. Avoiding her in a way of speeding down the corridors after every lesson she had with her, and talking to Blaise for the entirety of lunch to make sure Lenora saw she was busy — even though that never normally stopped her. But, thanks the heavens, Lenora was sat with Dean — who she still hadn't told about the fact that only less than a day earlier those lips she kissed him with were kissing another guy's lips. At the same time, though, Theo still hadn't told Florence about it.

It was weighing on him, it had been ever since it happened. He had a hunch that she already knew, from the way she been side-eying Lenora all day and glaring at her from afar when she had the chance, but in Florence's own mind, it made her quite sick looking at her 'best friend'. Theo had also noticed the way she had been the first out of all of their classes that day that they'd shared with Lenora.

Theo wanted to tell Florence, even if she already knew; even if she'd seen it firsthand. But it was the thought of her being heartbroken from the betrayal. He knew it would hurt, big time. He didn't want to put her through that, especially with everything else going on. As much as it pained him, he was going to have to.

The two were currently sat in the Slytherin common room with Blaise. Blaise was laying on the sofa, taking up the entirety of it, staring at the ceiling. Meanwhile, on the opposite leather sofa, Florence was sat with her knees up, reading Little Women, her right hand rested at her side in a mess of dark brown curls that belonged to the boy lying on the sofa in front of her — also reading, his feet over the arm of the sofa since he was two tall for it given that he was also lying beside Florence who was sat, meaning that she took up part of it as well.

They were all so content — despite the two on one sofa with muddled minds, fighting back many urges. Blaise was just lying there thinking about how annoying Draco had been recently, also despite the fact that Draco was literally sat on the armchair next to him, skimming through a Transfiguration book and not taking any of the information in whatsoever. Those were the reasons why none of them noticed the girl entering the common room and walking over to them, the girl that three of them were on the verge of lashing out at.

Lenora walked over to them without a care in the world, not sensing the extreme discomfort projecting from over half of them. She approached them, hoping to be welcomed, but as she did so, Draco stood up — despite not even being the one discomforted by her presence, and he left the common room in a hurry, his face showing a mix of emotions, from grief to anger.

After his sudden departure, Lenora looked from person to person, only to see none of the three were bothered by it, so she decided not be, either. Instead, she sat on the leather armchair Draco had just been on and awaited a conversation to start. To her dismay, no one begun one.