Of Earth and Sea

Chapter Four

Dan was sprawled out on his white comforter with a copy of his Potions textbook propped open against his pillows. Meanwhile, his friend Louise was sitting in Dan's desk chair, flicking through The Perks of Being A Wallflower, her eyebrows knit together in focus.

"What did you get in the Potions exam yesterday?" Dan asked after a while of sitting in comfortable silence. His heart was beating anxiously as he attempted to study for his upcoming potions exam. It was late October now and all the teachers were piling on the tests and homework for everyone.

Louise leaned back in her seat, biting her lip as she tried to remember her mark for the exam. "I got an 87," she remarked, going back to reading her book. Well, Dan's book; she stole it off of his bookshelf. "Why? Are you nervous?"

Dan sighed, closing his eyes and trying to calm himself down. "Little bit, yeah. I keep forgetting the ingredients needed in a Healing Potion," he admitted sheepishly.

"Simple. Beet roots, crushed buttercup flowers, bazil, ground dragonfly wings and red onions," she explained, listing off on her manicured fingers. She had a pretty shade of dark purple on them, which mesmerised Dan to no end.

Dan groaned, flopping his face into his pillows. "Ugh, I'm never gonna remember," he whined, his voice muffled by the white cushion. "I hate this class," he added, sitting up on his elbows, a deep scowl on his face.

He felt the bed dip as Louise sat down next to him on the bed, running her hands through his hair in a calming pattern. He hardly cared that it would definitely be messing up his hair. "I'm sure you'll do fine, Dan. It wasn't that hard of a test," she reassured. Dan turned his head to look up at the blonde girl.

"I dunno, I just feel like I'm gonna fail," he admitted, biting his lip. Dan ran a nervous hand through his hair, taking a deep breath. "Please euthanise me, Lou. I want death. This potions homework is going to be the death of me." He dropped his face into the pillows again.

Louise patted his back just as the door to their room opened. Phil entered the room, followed closely behind by his friend, Chris. Dan turned his head to see who it was, rolling his eyes and covering his face with his pillow again.

"...Granted, it was a weird idea," Chris was saying as he sat down on Phil's desk chair, "But hell, that's what happens when you think that eating soap is normal." Phil giggled brightly, shaking his head at his friend's rant.

Phil plopped down on top of his bed, shaking his bag of Sweet and Salty popcorn and tossing a few in his mouth. "Oh, Dodie invited us to her room on Friday, by the way. We're trying to decide between watching a Harry Potter movie or The Room," Phil rambled, stuffing more popcorn pieces in his mouth.

"I have a really good joke," Phil announced to his friend, beaming like a toddler, "Wanna hear it?" Chris nodded vigorously, taking a few of Phil's popcorn bits. "Why did the lifeguard kick the elephants out of the pool?"

"Why?"

"Because they kept dropping their trunks!" The two boys burst out laughing, clutching their sides. Phil was rolling around his bed, close to crying from laughing so hard. "I have another one!" he said once he had started to calm down. "When my grandpa was 65, he started running a mile a day. Now, he's 70 and we have no idea where he is."

Louise cleared her throat as Chris and Phil laughed again. "Hey, Dan? I'm gonna get going. I should get back to my room," she whispered, earning a pout from Dan. "Sorry, love. I'll see you tomorrow," she added, smiling softly and patting Dan's head before swiftly exiting the dorm.

Dan groaned and buried his face deeper in his pillow as Chris offered up his own joke. An hour later, they were still talking and laughing non-stop and Dan could feel himself getting more and annoyed by the second. When Phil made a joke about people walking into a bar, Dan jolted to a seating position.