55 | safety net

107 3 1
                                    

April, 1995.

"Psst!"

Joey glanced up from her Potions exam to see Devonte trying to get her attention. "What?" she mouthed.

"Answers," he mouthed back as he pointed at his own exam.

"I'm not done," she mouthed.

His gaze flicked over to Imani. "Psst!"

She flipped him off, but low enough to prevent anybody else seeing.

"Answers," he whispered. "Please, please, gorgeous girl."

"Flattery doesn't work with me," she muttered, writing on her exam.

"Silence," Snape demanded firmly from his desk.

"Nayun," Devonte hissed on his other side.

"Yeah?" she whispered back, blinking at him.

"Answers," he whispered with a charismatic smile.

"But it's a test." She frowned.

"And it could be our secret."

A Potions exam after arriving back from Easter holiday was what the students were given by Snape. Joey wasn't surprised since he really was the only professor to give tests right after holidays.

"Devonte, do it yourself," Imani whispered harshly, throwing the lid of an ink jar at his back.

He glared nastily at her as the lid cluttered to the floor. "Do me yourself, how about that?"

Her jaw dropped at the retort. "I— you— we— I—"

"Speechless, aren't you?" His brows arched up. "Now give me answers."

"Miss Kumar and Mister Russell, detention with me after the feast." Snape's voice hardened as he rose from his seat, pointing at the two students.

"Oh, great!" Devonte exclaimed sardonically as his hands flailed in the air. "I just love detention with Snape."

"Yeah, I bet you do," Imani muttered bitterly, and refocused on her exam.

Joey chuckled to herself and went back to her test.

_____

"Did— Did you hear what he said?" Imani vented in disbelief.

"When?" Joey's eyebrows drew together as spared her friend a glance.

"During the Potions test," Imani whispered, as though she were saying something so heinous. "He said 'Do me yourself.'"

"Oh, right." Joey nodded and blinked at her mate. "What about it?"

Imani huffed and shook her head, leaning back in the chair she was sitting in at the table in the library. "I've just— I-I've never heard him say something like that to me before," she muttered, and folded her arms over her chest.

"Mani, can I ask you something?" Joey sat straighter in her seat and lifted one thigh to rest over her other.

"Okay, sure." Imani nodded fairly.

"Have you and Von ever considered hooking up with each other?" Joey asked shamelessly. "Or even going out together?"

"Now, where the hell did this come from?" Imani's tone was laced with bafflement. "This came right out of your ass, I bet."

"I dunno." The other girl shrugged plainly. "You and him have been more testy with each other lately. I say... fuck it out."

"You lose your virginity not that long ago and now you think you're some sex witch, eh?" The corner of Imani's mouth twitched into an amused smirk. "What, you and Malfoy are a bunch of sex addicts, are you?"

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