I'm sorry (Lien)

Alayna figured Lien would go to the Ravenclaw common room. She had texted Serena to meet her at the protract so she could get into the common room. She stepped inside and stared at the stair case, knowing she couldn't get up them without Lien. So she did the next best thing. She shouted up the stairs, "Lien! Lien please come down!"

@Lien Chang

He thought he could make it into the dormitory. Everything was swarming about his head like some irritating haze: James had openly admitted to being what he was, and somehow he, Lien, was involved. The pieces were all drawing together in his mind, but he couldn't keep up with it.

Just as he reached the door of the dorms, a voice cracked up the staircase. He cringed. Alayna had got inside the common room.

Not wanting to make a scene about it, Lien quietly went back down to see her again. He couldn't quite look at her in the eye. "All right... All right. Keep your voice down."

He went to an armchair and sat in it, sighing loudly.

@Alayna Nott

Alayna breathed a sigh of relief when he came down the stairs. It was evident she had been crying. She was upset by all of this. She sat in the arm chair beside his and looked at him. Why wouldn't he look at her? She hated when he got like this, "Li. Please..." she felt bad. She felt bad for putting James and she felt bad for causing all this drama for Lien.

@Lien Chang

"What?"

His voice was cold and dispassionate.

"I've got a lot of work to do. I'm already falling behind on my weekly schedule because of going to that stupid dance. Can't you just leave me alone for five minutes? My life was pretty well organised before all this!"

@Alayna Nott

Alayna had never heard him use that tone of voice before, especially not with her. Stupid dance? "You mean the stupid dance where we actually started dating?" He wanted to be left alone? Wish granted. "you know what, Chang. I sure can. I can leave you alone for alot longer than five minutes." She was hurting.

@Lien Chang

"I really am just a toy for you, aren't I?" he spoke acidly, glaring at the fireplace. "You outed him because of some silly argument you had! Do you have any idea how much this is going to impact him? Just because you want your own way all the time! You want to clear the way and push people aside like they're pests! You're just a - a..."

He looked straight at her, his face contort in rage.

"A bitch!"

@Alayna Nott

"No of course not. I actually like you Lien." She said, trying to fight tears from forming in her eyes. "I didn't out him! A friend asked why I was upset. What they do is their business. I don't control other people. Just like I couldn't control him threatening me which pushed me." When he called her a bitch, the first tear fell, "Fuck you." She said, wiping the tears away. She wasn't going to look weak in front of him. Normally, she wouldn't hide her emotions from him. He made her feel safe usually. But not now.

@Lien Chang

Lien laughed coldly.

"You know, I actually think you believe your own bullshit."

He gave her a look of contempt.

"How did James threaten you so much for you to completely ruin his life? Go on. Tell me. I'd like to see what you come up with!"

@Alayna Nott

Alayna looked at him, trying her usual pout, but then stopped. It wouldn't help her any in this situation, "Fine. You want the truth? It was after you helped me try on dresses and... You know. I was in the common room and James came in. I said hello to him and he just ignored me. I kind of knew he liked you at that point. And yeah, I might have said some shit I shouldn't have, but I was trying to save him the pain of having a crush that wasn't returned. It hurts. But he didn't see it that way. He saw it as me bragging about fucking you. It really really wasn't like though." Her tears began falling again as she spoke, but she didn't bother wiping them away this time. "Then he got mad and said if I didn't shut up he Would make it to where I could never speak again. And I just... Got scared. It reminded me of Theodore. And I know that's not a excuse but it's the truth. I deal with my father's threats enough. I don't need threats from him too."

@Lien Chang

What she said sounded like an argument between two girls. If it was, this would have been easier to digest: he may even felt rather cocky about it, being so popular enough to spark arguments. But this was James. A boy. He kept trying not to think about that fact, as it was a very odd idea for him to get his head around.

"It sounds like an empty threat to me," he muttered, although there was no denying that James shouldn't have said it. "But fine. It made you scared. Why was your reaction to do something that would lead to me being shamed in front of the entire school? Everyone is going to be talking about me now. I'm sure they're all having a good laugh about it."

He eyed her bitterly.

"I was finally starting to be recognised in this stupid, fucking place. Now I'm going to be recognised for all the wrong reasons." He gritted his teeth together, folded his arms, and glanced away.

@Alayna Nott

"How can you tell that it was empty? He drinks enough. He does enough drugs. He could actually do it and not realize." She said, a bit pissed off he was defending James instead did comforting her. "I didn't mean for any of this to come down on you. I didn't mean for any of this to happen at all. Ptolemy knew I was upset, and he can tell when I'm lying. I simply told him I was upset because James threatened me and was threatening my relationship. What Rowle does with information is his business. But I will be talking to him about how he brought you into it. That wasn't cool." He was pissed. She could tell that. She slowly reached out and placed a hand on his arm, "Li, I'm sorry."

"That's just the same as teaching a dog to bite someone on the arm, then saying it isn't your fault that it bit someone's arm."

He sighed loudly. Her hand touched his arm. Lien immediately swung his arm up so she would release him. There was no way her petting him would have any impact right now.

"You just saw me as one of your little possessions," he said icily, then half-grinned. There was something about how he did it though, like he wasn't entirely behind it. "Well... perhaps I saw you just the same. I was using you to get recognised. Well... as it turns out, there's a downside to being popular. So thanks for the ride."

He was angry. He didn't know if he'd meant it or not, but it felt like he did at that moment.

@Alayna Nott

Alayna visibly flinched when he raised his arm, "Please don't." She said on impulse from her father's abuse. Her face showed fear and her arms were up for defense. "you weren't a possession. You were my boyfriend. And I was actually starting to really like you. But this... I don't like this." When he said he was using her, she didn't know what to say. She chewed on her bottom lip and looked at him, "You we're just using me? You took my virginity... And you were just using me the whole time?" That's what hurt the most. She had trusted him.

@Lien Chang

"Well, you ruined it. Because you're a bitch, Alayna. You are just a stupid bitch."

Starting to really like him? Yeah right, he thought. He couldn't believe he'd ever got himself into this situation. He was so angry, confused, conflicted, not really knowing how he felt or how to go from here.

"You're always trying to play the victim. Just stop it. You were using me, I was using you. We were using each other."

He looked up at her.

"You shouldn't even be in here. This is for Ravenclaws only."

@Alayna Nott

Alayna felt her fist clench by her waist. She would never hit him. But God she wanted to each time he called her a bitch, "Go on say it again. You hate me so much? Fine. You can be with Potter." She was pissed off and spouting out nonsense. "I wasn't trying to use you. God, for someone so smart you're being a fucking idiot." She scoffed, "I have friends in this house. My brother is in this house. I'm here all the time."

@Lien Chang

"I don't want to be with Potter," he scoffed.

He looked her up and down angrily.

"You're a Gryffindor, so go back to the Gryffindor common room. Or I'll report you."

He stood up.

"I'm going to bed."

@Alayna Nott

"You can report me all you want, Lien." When he said he was going to bed she frowned, "Lien, we need to talk about this." She didn't know what was happening anymore, "So what now?" She didn't want to lose him. She really did like him. She was starting... Love him? She looked up at him, her emotions showing in her eyes, "Are we done?" She prayed he said no. She hoped he just needed to calm down, "I don't want to lose you. I'm sorry for all this. I'll apologize to James. I'll apologize to everyone. I just.... Please?"

@Lien Chang

"Do you really think apologising is going to fix anything? The damage has been done."

He ignored what she was saying about talking. He didn't want to talk. He just wanted to go up to his dormitory, lie down, possibly beat up his pillow for a while, then fall asleep.

"I don't have anything else to say to you."

He stormed across the common room, and went up the stairs.

@Alayna Nott

Alayna went to say more, but she knew it was hopes at this point. He was too angry. When he left, she spoke under her breath, "I love you..." She then turned and left the common room to return to her own.

@Lien Chang