Chapter VIII: Phase V: Party
--
Everything you think you know, baby
Is wrong.
And everything you think you had, baby
Is gone.
Certain things turn ugly when you think too hard,
And nagging little thoughts change into things you can't turn off,
Everything you think you know, baby
Is wrong.
-"It's All Over But The Crying" by Garbage
--
Saturday
--
"I'm so sorry Lily-Billy," Elle hugged her as she tried to console her after having been told the story of what had happened the night before.
Alice, on the other hand, couldn't contain herself. "Well you can't honestly expect a wanker like that to just go cold turkey. It's only been a few day, what did you expect?"
"For him to stop. Was that so naïve of me?"
"Yes," Alice told her.
"Fine," Lily said shortly, trying to suck in her pride as she knew that they were honestly trying to help her, regardless of how much it hurt. You take what you can get, right?
"So James was with you?" Elle asked, trying to break the slight tension created. Blunt never really was a good route to go with as far as Lily's love life was concerned come to think of it, she thought to herself amusedly.
"Yeah, he was surprisingly nice to me through it all."
"It's not all that surprising," Alice told her. "I told you he was better than you thought."
"I'm going to ignore that and pretend like I never doubted it," Lily said with a small smile.
"Whatever you need for the sake your ego, right?" Elle teased her.
"Of course."
"At least she's honest," Alice commented.
"So what should we do in Hogsmeade today?" Elle asked.
"I can't, sorry. Made plans with Benjy. Actually, I should be heading down right now," Lily said, as she ran to the mirror to check her appearance.
"You look fine," Alice said, watching her from Lily's bed.
"I've been crying, ergo I can't possibly look fine."
"Put on a bit of concealer and you're set."
"Oh, good idea," Lily said as she quickly took out her make up, applying it to her face. "Okay, I've got to go now, but Alice, if you see Rachel today, do tell her she's a whore, will you?"
"With pleasure. Have fun," Alice told her with a smile.
"What the hell?!" Alice shrieked once Lily was out of ear shot.
"Calm down," Elle told her.
"Wha- wha- wha?" James mumbled incoherently as he groggily stumbled into the room.
"Oh you didn't even go to bed that late, get over it!" Alice snapped at him.
"What's with her?" James asked Elle, yawning as he threw himself onto Lily's bed.
"Lily still hasn't gotten over Benjy or realized that he's an ass," Elle said in bored tone, obviously used to the temper tantrums.
"Well, you can't very well just expect it to happen in one day, she's bloody in love with him, that's not going to change any time soon," James told her with another loud yawn.
"When did you become so all knowing?" Alice asked him in an aggravated tone.
"Remus explained it all to me."
"Figures."
"No need to be a bitch, Alice. It's her life, her prerogative, and all that shit."
"That's very philosophical of you, James," Elle laughed.
"Why thank you, but the point is that you need to just be there for her. Be a mate, you can't really do much more."
"Ugh, but I thought that it'd be easy. He wouldn't stop cheating and she'd quickly see what an arse he is, end of story," Alice whined.
"So naïve, anyway, I'm off to get food," James announced, pushing himself off the bed and making his way to the portrait hole.
"James, you're only wearing boxers," Elle pointed out before he opened it.
"Right," he said as he turned around and made his way back to his room.
"The saddest part of all is that that idiot is right," Alice moped.
"I agree; it does come off as a bit of a shock."
"So what do you think?"
"We'll be her mates, support her, and keep on calling him Fen-Prick. It's the most we can do without losing her."
"So what does that make me? The bad guy?" Alice asked.
"No, she expected as much from you, even if it did hurt and she resented you for it… you're mates, she expected nothing less than your usual blunt self."
"Okay, I just don't want to lose her."
"Neither of us do Alice, but she's weak when it comes to stuff like that. We just have to be more careful about how we approach the topic."
--
Tell me you'll love me like a star,
Tell me you want me wherever you are,
Tell me you'll breathe me till your last breath,
Liar, liar,
Oh, liar, liar…
- "Liar, Liar" by Alexz Johnson
--
"So where do you want to go?" Benjy asked her as the two walked hand in hand down the streets of Hogsmeade.
"How about we just hang out at the Three Broomsticks for the day?"
"Sure."
"Merlin, it's been so long since we've really had any time to be alone, hasn't it?"
"You've been too busy with Potter," he muttered, making her smile because she enjoyed the fact that she had been able to make him jealous.
"I'll make it up to you," she told him with a small smile.
"Oh, you will, will you?" he asked her with a smirk, pulling her to him.
Lily put her hands on his chest, pushing him away lightly. "By buying you a butter beer, not that, I have my period this week," Lily amended with a small teasing smile.
--
Come on now, sugar,
Bring it on, bring it on, yeah.
Just remember me when you're good to go,
Come on now, honey,
Bring it on, bring it on, yeah.
Just remember me when
We used to be friends, a long time ago…
-"We Used to be Friends" by the Dandy Warhols
--
Sunday
--
"So are you ready to go in? Lily asked Rachel with a smile.
"So it's at our dorm?" Rachel asked with obvious disappointment.
"Yep, now get your game face on, you want everyone to think it's a surprise party, don't you?"
"Okay, I'm ready."
"Then let's get the party started."
As soon as Lily opened the door everyone immediately shouted "Surprise!" and Rachel immediately put on the fakest surprised face known to man. What a testament to her acting skills, Lily thought bitterly to herself as she watched her ex-best friend rant about how shocked she was.
"Well, she's some actress," James commented from behind her as the two observed her.
Lily laughed, "Now that's funny. So I didn't know you were going to be here."
"I just had to see the show. Oh and congrats, this is definitely the most boring party I've ever been to," he told her as he turned to look around the disgustingly pink room filled with small tea tables, cringing at the sound of orchestral music in the background.
Lily laughed, "Thanks… you know, you're oddly talented at cheering me up."
"What can I say, it's a gift… anyway, I should go, before the boringness and pink really gets to me, I mean there's only so much a bloke can take."
"I do believe that this is the perfect opportunity to revel in her disappointment anyway, cheers."
"Enjoy it."
"Oh I will," she promised him before making her way to Rachel. "So, how are you enjoying it? Isn't it great?"
"Um, well, it's definitely one of a kind," she told Lily with a pathetic excuse of a smile.
"Oh, I just knew you'd love it," Lily smiled, hugging her tightly, trying to keep herself from gagging as she did so. "I'm so glad that you let me plan this, I was sure you'd want something really mature and grown up. Although I do have to say the guests' reactions are rather disappointing, but you like it, don't you?" Lily asked with a false cheery smile, knowing how much it tortured Rachel to pretend to enjoy the party as it was her one chance to have all the attention on her, an annual experience that Rachel always had taken great pleasure in.
"Of course… they just don't have any taste."
"Exactly, anyway, I'll let you go now. There are so many people waiting to congratulate you."
"Okay," Rachel said with a weak smile, "Bye."
--
I was so lost back then
But with a little help from my friends,
I found the light in the tunnel at the end
And now you're calling me up on the phone
So you can have a little whine and a moan
It's only because you're feeling alone
At first when I see you cry
Yeah, it makes me smile
Yeah, it makes me smile
At worst I feel bad for a while
But then I just smile
I go ahead and smile
-"smile" by Lily Allen
--
"It's horrible," Lily heard a voice cry as she was walking through the party, making rounds, greeting people and mingling. She instantly recognized the voice and neared to the pillar, opposite of which she could tell Rachel was speaking to someone.
"What is?" the girl asked.
"This party, I mean it's my bloody seventeenth birthday and I get a bloody tea party!"
"Well at least she threw you a party that was awfully nice of her; really looks like it took a lot of effort."
"I don't bloody well care! The most popular people in school are here, and what do we have to do? Drink tea! All the boys have left, even Lily looked bored."
"No way, why would she throw you the party if she thought it was boring?"
"Apparently she thought I'd enjoy it, that this was my idea of a perfect party."
"Well it is rather charming; I think it was sweet of her. Not many girls in our school would go through all this effort. Besides, you like pink."
"This is unbelievable; you're taking her side after she sabotaged my party, seriously?"
"Well I wouldn't exactly call it sabotaging."
"There's nothing to do, but drink tea!" Rachel exclaimed, and Lily couldn't help, but smile at the mental image of Rachel coming very close to clawing the girl's eyes out-or in a version that was slightly less realistic, (but much more preferable in Lily's opinion) was that of her ripping her hair out in her frustration.
"It is very good tea and there's a chocolate fountain to dip fruit into."
"I'm on a diet."
"It's the thought that counts. So what if there is nothing to do, we can always talk, that's always fun."
"Not at a birthday."
"You really need to learn to be more appreciative love," the girl told her before walking away.
"That bloody bitch, wouldn't know a good party if it smacked her upside the head," Rachel muttered, storming off.
"Don't smirk, you'll only look suspicious," Alice told her, taking her by surprise from behind.
"I won't, I'm holding it off."
"Just warning you Lils, you haven't won anything. She may be dense enough for it to mean everything to her and actually leave a dent, but she's still got the prick."
Lily's expression immediately sobered at that, "you're a bitch."
"Nope, just keeping things realistic for you love."
"Well how about a little less of it?"
"You should go mingle a bit," Alice told her before leaving.
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