Break it Up (Ron Weasley)

22. Sunday

I woke up tired and already irritated. I guess that's what happens when you cry yourself to sleep.

I sat up and looked over to see Ron's empty air mattress. Thank Merlin, I wasn't ready to face him yet today.

Last nights events were still replaying in my head, even though I'd tried my best to forget them. I cringed at the thought of seeing Ron at all today.

I laid back down and tried to somehow apparate back to Hogwarts myself. No such luck.

The door creaked as Molly stuck her head in the room. "Good morning dear," she said with a smile.

I smiled back. Ron may have been a dick, but that didn't mean Molly wasn't still a sweetheart. I tried to save my bad mood for Ron only.

"Breakfast is ready when you want to come down," she said before waking back down the stairs.

I closed my eyes and tried my best to fall back asleep. Again, no such luck.

I sighed and climbed out of the covers. I was going to have to face him at some point, so I might as well get it over with.

I trudged down the stairs to find three sets of eyes staring at me. Ron was doing the opposite and doing his best to not look at me.

"Morning," Fred and George said simultaneously.

"Morning," I said back, sitting at the empty seat at the table next to Ron. Of course it was next to Ron. We're supposed to be dating.

"How'd you sleep?" Ginny asked.

"Fine," I responded while pouring syrup over my pancakes.

They must've noticed the tension in the air, because the three of them looked back and forth between Ron and me.

"Something happen last night?" Fred asked curiously.

I looked up at Ron, expecting him to answer, but he kept his eyes on his plate. Ginny looked at the both of us expectantly.

"No," I finally said, not meeting Fred's eyes.

"Got a lot of homework to do today, Ron?" George asked in an effort to get his brother to speak.

Ron just nodded. This was very uncharacteristically quiet for him.

I felt the three of them still staring at us as we ate in silence for a couple of minutes. I hated it.

We all finished eating and cleared our plates. Fred, George, and Ron all ran up to their rooms to work on whatever schoolwork they brought home for the weekend. Ginny stayed seated next to me.

"Okay, what was that all about?" she inquired, referring to Ron and I giving each other the silent treatment. "Did you tell him?"

I breathed out heavily and looked at my hands. I didn't know what to say. We most definitely did not confess our undying love for each other last night. "Yeah, I did," I lied.

"Oh no," she answered, looking upset. She assumed already knew the outcome by the way breakfast had gone this morning. "What did he say?"

"Just that the feeling was not mutual," I spat, not wanting to talk about the subject much longer. "I'm going to do my homework," I remarked, standing up to grab my school stuff.

I opened the door to Ron's room where all my things were to find Ron pacing back and forth.

"Y/n, listen," he began once I appeared, but I cut him off.

"No, don't. It's fine. Let's just move on," I shot without lifting my eyes from the ground and walking over to my school supplies.

"But I have to explain myself," he said, with his hands folded on top of his head.

"There's nothing to explain!" I yelled. "I get it. You like Hermione. I like Cedric. It was a mistake," I lied. It was weird saying I liked Cedric now that I know how untrue it is.

"Yeah," he said, not knowing how else to respond to my outburst. "I'm glad we're on the same page. I don't even know why I did that in the first place."

He had to just rub salt in the wound, didn't he? My eyes filled with tears again and the all too familiar lump formed in my throat.

"Yeah," I said, my voice cracking. I should've kept my mouth shut.

"Y/n," he said sympathetically, walking over to me.

"How are you supposed to comfort me!" I yelled, the tears now rolling down my face. "I get it! You don't like me! I know! I knew that when I signed up for this stupid plan!"

Ron was backing away from me now. "I don't know what to say..." he trailed off, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground. He was avoiding looking at the mess that I was in that moment.

"You don't have to say anything! It's done, Ron! We kissed, it happened, it's over. You did it by mistake," I shot. "Let's just keep with this plan and move on. It doesn't even matter that I don't like Cedric anymore and I think he and Hermione make a great couple! Let's just keep doing it for you and your own selfish reasons!" I couldn't stop talking. Once I started the words just kept spilling out.

He finally met my eyes with a confused expression. "You don't like Cedric anymore?" he asked.

"No!" I shouted. "I'm in love with you!"

Silence followed the last statement as my words hung in the air. I didn't mean to say that, but I couldn't help myself. Heat rushed to my cheeks with embarrassment and I turned away to face the wall.

Ron said nothing. His lack of response was enough of an answer for me. I started working on my homework in an effort to end this conversation from hell.

I heard the door behind me open and close and realized Ron had left his room. I cupped my head in my hands and cried. Too much had happened in the last twenty four hours for me to bear.

I didn't see Ron for the whole rest of the day. I stayed in his room doing work by myself. Ginny came in occasionally to tell me when lunch and dinner were ready, but I told her I wasn't hungry. She understood.

A little after Ginny knocked for dinner, there was a third knock. "Come in," I said, expecting to see Ginny again. But it was Ron who entered.

"We're going back," he said without lifting his eyes off the floor.

I said nothing and gathered my stuff. I followed him out the door and down the stairs to the living room where Fred, George, and Ginny were standing with their bags.

Molly came over to give me a hug before we left. "I'll miss you, dear," she said, embracing me one last time. I thanked her for having me and for the sweater one last time.

Then, the five of us all held hands and apparated back to the Gryffindor common room.