You Only Live Once

Chapter 29

Mira was minding her own business, spending the little time she had before she needed to pack her things on the Astronomy Tower. It was the one place that, now that Sirius wasn't around, felt entirely her own. She honestly couldn't understand why more students didn't take advantage of the quiet and the privacy it could offer, but she surely wasn't complaining. The cold wind bit at her cheeks, but the chill was grounded and real, unlike the messy, suffocating atmosphere downstairs.

The Slytherin friend group had a huge fight the night before, and everyone was incredibly tense. Mira didn't know what fights with friends felt like. She didn't have many people in her life to begin with, and the ones she did have usually ended up leaving without a word of warning. As she sat on the stone ledge of the tower, dangling her feet over the edge and looking at the darkening sky, she wished her life had stayed that way. The feeling that followed a fight with friends was awful. You don't know where to stand, what to say, or who to talk to. Everything feels heavy, like the air itself has thickened with unspoken words.

She had that weird, persistent urge to cry every time she thought about it, but she held herself back. She hadn't even fully understood why the shouting had started. She and Pandora had walked into the common room the previous night after a peaceful picnic by the Black Lake, only to find the boys screaming at each other. It was mainly Theo and Regulus, though Barty and Evan were chiming in with their own jagged comments.

When Mira had stepped forward to ask what was going on, Regulus had snapped. He had looked her right in the eye and told her to "fuck off" with a venom that took her breath away. The reaction was instant. Barty, Evan, and Pandora had all voiced their disapproval, but Theo had been the most explosive. He hadn't just used words; he had launched himself at Regulus and punched him square in the eye.

It went downhill from there. By the time the dust settled, the group had fractured. Almost everyone had eventually shifted toward Regulus's side, collectively deciding to freeze Theodore out. But Mira didn't like taking sides. She couldn't. That was why she was on her own on the last night before the holidays. If she went back down, she would be forced to choose between the boy she loved and the friends who were her only family, and she couldn't bring herself to do such a thing.

"I knew I'd find you up here" a voice sounded from the entrance of the tower.

Mira didn't have to look to know who it was. The deep, familiar timbre of Theo's voice sent a shiver down her spine that had nothing to do with the wind.

"Well, it's been—"

But she didn't get to finish her sentence. Theo had sprinted forward, his movements frantic and uncoordinated. He grabbed her arms and crushed his lips to hers without warning. It was a desperate, hard kiss that lacked any of his usual tenderness. As much as she wanted to lose herself in him, she pushed against his chest and pulled back. A kiss wasn't going to fix the glass that had shattered the night before.

"What has gotten into you?" Mira asked, her eyebrows raised. She didn't just mean the kiss; she meant the wild, bloodshot look in his eyes and the way his hands were shaking.

"That's all you want from me, right? So I'm giving it to you. Take it, Mira" he replied angrily. He stepped forward again, reaching for her as if he wanted to drown out his thoughts with another aggressive kiss.

"What are you talking about, Theo?" she asked, stepping out of his reach.

"Funny you talk now. Didn't have much to say last night, did you?"

"I still don't know what went down. When I found you, you were already shouting at each other and then you punched him" Mira reminded him, standing up from the ledge. The stone felt cold under her palms.