✔️ 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐓&𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 → 𝑓. 𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑦

21 |A C C E P T A N C E

•••
in a storm of feelings
I'm so unappealing;
I can't play these games.
•••

   The moment Lynnea stepped through the gate she started running. The cold air hit her face, feeling like it was cut open, her tears burning on her skin, but she didn't care. In this moment she hated herself so much. How could she let that happen? How could she allow herself to grow feelings for that sad excuse of a human being? How could she fall for him? Everything on him was annoying, everything he did caused her blood to boil. And for a second she had let him through her walls, and this was her punishment; not the knife-like sharp feeling on her face, but the throbbing pain underneath the surface. The hammering of her heart, that had nothing to do with her running. There was something inside her, a big emptiness, but so present it shoved everything else aside. She wanted nothing more than burry fingers into her skin, tearing herself open and ripping out whatever horrific thing that was, what was growing with every second, taking away the space for breathing.

   Reaching the boathouse she wanted to scream, but the big swollen bulb inside her didn't let her. She leaned against the boathouse, sliding down the wooden wall to the floor, where she grabbed her knees and pulled them tight to her body. It was freezing cold, she shivered, but her face still burned under the curtain of tears covering her skin. She tried to bring her breathing under control, leaning her head back against the wall, closing her eyes. It was his face she saw; the stupid freckles, the annoying smirk, the shining golden brown eyes, so full of warmth.

   "You know, if you'd tell him what you feel, he'd be yours in less than a second."

   Her eyes flung open and her head jerked around, facing the embracing smiling face of George. The snow must have muffled his footsteps, she didn't have heared him coming.

   "George!", she yelped, a sob escaping her throat, and she quickly wiped her eyes. "What are you doing here?" This was embarrassing. She didn't want to be seen by anybody. Not like this. Not this shattered and vulnerable, with this wasted face, swollen eyes and red face. Slytherins didn't cry, even not in front of Gryffindors. And most importantly not in front of their crush's brother.

   "Just wanted to have a look for my favourite snake", he chuckled and crossed the small cabin, sitting down next to her. "You seemed a bit distracted when you left the great hall. So Lynnie, just tell me why you don't tell Fred that you like him? He isn't as brilliant as me, he'll never find out on his own."

   "I don't like him", she mumbled, her teeth clattering from the cold, but her face even heating up a bit more.

   "Are you trying to persuade me or yourself? See, I know what happened between the both of you in your room at Grimmauld Place", George said, a soft smile still on his lips.

   "Nothing happened", Lynnea snapped. "If anything would have happened, he wouldn't stick his tongue down Johnson's ugly throat by any given chance!" The thing inside her twisted and turned, and again she fought the urge to just tear it out of her chest.

   "Lynnie, he likes you", George said calmly, laying an arm around her shoulder and pulling her close. She first wanted to push away, but welcomed the warmth of this gesture. "He and Angelina don't fit, he'll notice sooner or later. Don't even know how they could end up together to be honest. Nevertheless he's totally fallen for you, and you should tell him that you like him, because as I already told you, he's a dumbass and he'll never find out. But most importantly you should not shed even a single tear for this dipshit."

   "He doesn't like me", Lynnea bitterly replied. "He might fell for the idea of ..  I don't know ... getting the new girl laid or something like that." George cocked an eyebrow and looked down at her. "Do you think I haven't heard about him being a chaser?"

   "But he's a Beater", George laughed.

   "Oh shut up, you know exactly what I mean! Your brother had a lot of girls here beneath his sheets. Guess a Slytherin is missing in his list, huh? So what am i to him? A challenge? Or was I just a little snack to not starve during the Christmas break, until he'd be back here with Johnson?"

   "Oh, I know Fred pretty well, and believe me, you're not a girl for just one night", he replied and ruffled her hair.

   "You can't be sure."

   "Lynnea, please, he's a git, okay? You know it, I know it, even he knows. But you're more to him. It's not like you could be compared to one of those ladies Fred usually is hanging out with. Also a fact the three of us know." He made a long pause, and Lynnea didn't say anything at all. She'd love to believe George, but everything in Fred's behaviour screamed a different story. The way he'd just left the room after their kiss, without even another look at her and that he completely ignored her for days now. "So do you admit that you like him?", George finally asked. Lynnea's body stifened.

   "I - gosh, I swear, if you'll tell him, I'll break your neck", she mumbled, her face flushing pink. But there was no use in lying at George, he already knew, no matter how much she'd deny it.

   "I won't", he said. "But you should. And now let's get back up to the castle, I fear you're freezing to death down here, and Fred would kill me if I'd let his lady turn into a ice sculpture."

   "Aren't you feeling cold?"

   "Me? Nuh-oh, I'm hot, haven't you noticed?" He got up, a fat smirk on his face.

   Lynnea snorted, letting George pull her back to her feet. "Don't tell him I cried."

   George let out a deep sigh, shaking his head. "The two if you really need to sort out your priorities."