𝕿𝖗𝖊𝖒𝖔𝖗 - ʳᵉᵍᵘˡᵘˢ ᵇˡᵃᶜᵏ

Chapter 26: Warmth

[ January 30th, 1978 ]

FUCKING UP was starting to become Theona's schtick. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how careful she was, she'd developed a talent for doing the wrong thing; making the wrong decisions. She'd thought the new year would be a new start, she'd thought she would be better. She'd thought wrong, clearly.

It wasn't with bad intentions. She didn't try to be shit, she just was. Everything she did, she'd done with good reason. She just had a habit of forgetting about collateral damage. Spying on the Slytherin quidditch team was to help James and Sirius, but she hadn't thought about Regulus. Fake dating Evan seemed to be a win-win, but she hadn't stopped to consider how she could hurt him.

Everything she did, she'd done with good reason. Except this.

The only reason she had for kissing Regulus was that she wanted to. There was no upside, no positive outcome. The pros and cons list was severely outnumbered zero to a million. It was nothing but a fuck up. She was a fuck up.

She'd realized it the moment her eyes peeled open on Sunday morning, as she was struck by a blinding headache and her sweaty body.

The groan that ripped through her throat alerted her roommates of her newly found consciousness.

"Finally, I was starting to think you were dead," Sybill huffed, crawling her way into Theona's bed, "you have so much explaining to do."

Theona wiped at her eyes, feeling the crust of her leftover mascara crumbling beneath her fingers, "what?"

"You disappeared for half an hour last night," Pandora began, cuddling in on Theona's other side, "then puked and passed out."

"I recall," Theona drawled, glaring at her best friend.

"Yeah, and then once we finally managed dragged you up to bed, we noticed that," Sybill finished, poking Theona's boob.

Theona pulled her sights down to her chest, eyes widening. There was a dark purple circle, ugly and fresh.

"Oh," she swallowed, "I fell on top of a bottle when I passed out. I didn't think it would leave a bruise."

Sybill narrowed her blue eyes, glancing at Pandora for a moment, before zeroing back in on Theona, "We don't believe you."

"Why not? Do you not trust me?" Theona scoffed, pulling her blanket up to her neck. She knew that hiding the hickey would do nothing now—they'd already seen it—but it brought her some comfort.

"I know a love-bite when I see one, Theo," Pandora teased, "nothing to be ashamed of."

"That depends on who gave it to you," Sybill countered, eyebrow quirked.

"You're not gonna let this go?" Theona sighed, shrinking under the determined stares of her friends.

"Honestly, I'm curious too," Emmeline chimed in from her spot reading in her bed. Theona had, admittedly, not even noticed her presence.

"Why do you care?" Theona asked, defensively. Emmeline Vance was the last person she'd spill her dirty secrets to.

     "I don't, I just want to make fun of you," Emmeline spat, pulling her canopy closed, "bitch."