Some Badgers like Snakes

Elle

I lay in bed, my ankle propped up on a stack of pillows Lucy had kindly brought me when I got back to my room. I couldn't sleep.
My skin still tingled from Jacob's touch. I could still feel the cool wind brushing against my cheek as Jacob carried me through the forest. I closed my eyes and suddenly I was in Jacob's arms, my head leaning against his chest. He was running so quickly, panting as he slowly ran out of breath. "I love you Jacob." I mumbled, the pain was getting to me, I felt dizzy and sick. He didn't hear me.
I could hear the desperation in his breath. He pulled me in tighter as I groaned at a sudden surge of pain.
"Elle, hold on. Hold on Elle, we'll be there soon. It's going to be okay."
"Ok, Jakey, I trust you. You'll save me." I murmured,
"I'm going to go to sleep, okay. Wake me up when we get to the hospital." I shifted and curled up, hiding my face in his torso.
I opened my eyes, leaving my fantasy.
I sighed, I'd never get any rest with my mind racing like this.
"Hey Lav." I whispered into the night's darkness.
"Yeah?" Lavenders voice responded groggily.
"You up?" I asked her.
"Girl, what do you think?" She huffed back sassily.
"I am now. Never let me sleep. Deal with your own midnight issues for once. Let Lavender sleep? No why would we do that, why would we let our friend get some much needed rest." She grumbled to herself, the sheets rustling as she shifted in her bed.
I tried not to laugh.
Lavender was sweet, one of the best people I knew, but bother her when she was tired and there would be hell to pay.
"Did you wake me up for a reason, or just for this delightful chat?" She growled under her breath, propping herself up on her elbow to face me.
"Can I tell you something." I asked quietly.
"Something tells me you're going to. And honestly after all this you'd better." She mumbled grumpily.
"Are you sure? You can go back to sleep." I said hesitantly.
"Bloody hell! Either tell me something or let me sleep!" She seethed, throwing a pillow over her face.
I smirked.
"Well fine. I won't tell you my secret, go back too bed." I bluffed, turning in my bed to face away from her.
"Elle, I'm just kidding. Tell me." Lavender's voice was softer and sweeter.
I chuckled, she could be such a sucker for good gossip.
"You know Jacob." I asked timidly.
I heard Lav take in an exasperated breath, "I'm aware of his existence, yes."
I rolled my eyes, she could be so annoying when she got like this.
"I think he might like me. Like like like me in the way that I like him." I bit my lip.
I heard Lav sit up abruptly and the excited rustle of sheets. Before I knew what was happening I felt something come crashing down on me. I clapped my hand over my mouth so I didn't scream. Lav rolled over me and lay down on her stomach, chin in her hands, and stared at me.
"Do tell." She crooned.
I burst out laughing, struggling to keep my voice down.
"What about sleep?" I asked in an innocent joking way.
"Pffft! Sleep, there's always tomorrow or the next night, who cares. This I need to know now!" She said seriously.
I giggled, "okay okay."
"Well you know about the whole Addison thing." I whispered.
It was Lavender's turn to laugh.
"Again, vaguely aware, yes." She rolled her eyes.
I guess I deserved that, I had gone a little...insane when the whole thing happened after all.
"Anyways, apparently he doesn't actually like her, his friend Ethan just told her that he did." I tried not to grin.
"So you had your little psychotic episode over a prank?!" She asked dumbfounded.
"Well, technically yes. But that's not the point right now!" I shushed her.
"The point is that all those signals I got from Jacob might actually be real. He might like me, he might really like me! He asked me to watch his tryouts, we always have really nice talks, he opened up to me, and he even carried me to the hospital wing when this happened." I said pointing to my elevated ankle.
"He's also partly the reason that happened." She responded, doing the same.
"I didn't even tell you how it happened, how can you just assume it was his fault?" I asked angrily.
"Please Elle, I'm a lot of things but I'm not stupid. Girls don't usually disappear for over three hours, break their ankle, and then be rushed in to Madam Pomfrey by a guy that they just happened to have come across on their way through the woods." She looked at me matter-of-factly.
"Ok so I was with him, how does that make it his fault that I got hurt? " I challenged.
"Elle how often do you break your ankle?" She asked slowly.
I looked at her like she was stupid, which she seemed to be.
"Not often, once." I rolled my eyes.
"Ah, and how often have you broken your ankle when you were with Jacob again?" She asked faking innocence.
"Once." I mumbled, catching on to her game.
"Interesting. So, statistically speaking, Jacob is at fault for your injury." She replied, rubbing "math" and "statistics" in my face like she always did to prove me wrong.
"Well, 'scientifically speaking' I've never broke my arm despite being with Jacob, therefor his presence has saved me from other injuries." I shot back sarcastically.
"Whatever." She rolled her eyes.
"I'm just saying he obviously wasn't being responsible if he let you get hurt." Her voice sounded defensive and almost sad.
"Did you ever think maybe I was the one being irresponsible? I was the one running and after he told me to slow down and to be careful. It was more my fault than his." I shot back.
"Look Elle, I don't want to start a fight, I'm just saying. I'm concerned, how well do you know this guy?" She retorted, sounding like she was getting attacked instead of it being the other way around.
"Trust me I think the same thing. I get it, it's way too soon to really know anything, I know ok! But I don't blame Jacob for me being unsure." My voice was cracking, I couldn't handle all the emotions today was throwing at me.
"I know, you're smart, I don't think you'd do anything stupid. At the risk of sounding prejudiced, he is a Slytherin, they don't exactly have the best reputation. I'm your best friend, I just-I just don't want you to get hurt...again." She replied, her voice breaking.
We never fought, it was hard to navigate a battle field you'd never experienced.
"I know you want what's best for me, I'd do the same for you, but maybe this is what I need. Maybe it's not what I thought it'd be but it is. You need to accept that! There's no need to attack either of us when I'm trying to tell you good news." I said sadly, barely able to make eye contact with my best friend.
Lav sighed.
"Elle, I'm sorry. I just...don't want to be replaced." I knew she was holding back tears.
I turned to her and said in complete seriousness, "Lav, are you insane?!"
She looked up at me.
"Are you actually kidding me? Why would I ever want to replace you?! I mean I like Jacob but he's no you! Do you think I want to talk to Jacob about the dumb thing Sarah Miller did in class, or how I looked in my new dress, or my massive crush on...well him?! No, no I don't! You're my best friend, my girl friend, No guy is ever going to replace you!"
"Promise?" She whispered timidly.
"Always." I whispered back.
We sat on my bed in silence, staring up at the wall.
"So Elle..." she said quietly, turning to face me.
"Yeah, Lav?" I whispered back.
"Tell me about Jacob." She smiled, looking up at me like a wide eyed toddler.
I giggled and told my best friend everything.