Chapter 2
1908 Words
Chapter Two
I can hear the party from way down the corridor, causing my nerves to go haywire. Why did I think this was a good idea? Oh right, Ryan.
I sigh. I really should get a handle on myself where he's concerned. I don't think Daphne will take kindly to me crushing on her brother.
"Hey, mate!" Cade calls and slaps the host on the back.
Men. I'll never understand them. As far as I know, Cade barely knows the new guy. I don't either, I haven't even seen him before.
But I look him up and down now. My mouth goes dry. Daphne's right, he's one of the most attractive guys I've ever seen and I don't know how to process that. He's never going to look at me twice. I don't blame him, I wouldn't want to be anywhere near myself either.
"There's beer on the table in the kitchen, nothing fancier for the ladies, I'm afraid," the new guys says, a wide smile on his face as he takes in Daphne and me.
Well, probably just Daphne. She always stands out with her bright pink hair and dorky but cute glasses. She's just what smart guys want.
"Beer's good with us," Daphne announces.
"I..."
"Not the time, Mona," she mutters under her breath.
I almost roll my eyes, but hold back. I've never been a big drinker. Even if it's legal to drink at eighteen, it doesn't mean I want to. Though maybe one wouldn't hurt.
"Sure, beer sounds good," I say softly.
"Awesome," new guy says. I should learn his name. Then again, this is probably going to be our last interaction with one another, I don't think there's much point drawing things out when I don't have to.
Daphne drags me into the flat and towards the kitchen. It has the same layout as ours, which is reassuring. Seven private bedrooms, one large communal kitchen, and a couple of shower stalls and toilets for the flat to share. I make a mental note not to use the bathrooms if I can help it, I'm sure the seven guys who live here aren't the tidiest.
There's a plastic cup of beer in my hand before I quite know what's happening, but that's okay. With the number of people here, it might be better if I drink. I can hear the whispers already. They call me Mona-No-Magic, even though that's not fair. I can do magic, just not very well any more. I'm still not sure what happened.
"See anyone you like?" Daphne asks, leaning against the fridge.
I shook my head, keeping my eyes as far away from Ryan as I could. The last thing I want is for her to catch that slip, though now I'm trying not to look, my eyes seem to be more drawn to him than ever. The open shirt he's wearing makes him look super suave, more than it should considering he's only eighteen. Maybe it's just being away from home for the first time and getting used to academy life. I have no idea, and I don't want to think about it too hard.
The beer is colder than I expect, but I like it. This way, it feels much less trashy and like I'm at a dorm party. This really isn't my thing, I'd rather be back in my flat studying.
"I haven't seen you around much," new guy says, coming to stand beside me.
I look around for Daphne to rescue me, but she's disappeared off into the throng of people. I didn't even know the flats could hold this many.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," he says.
"I'm not," I promise. "I just don't normally come to these things." I give him an uneasy smile. Not intentionally, but it's the best I can manage.
"Why not?"
"I'm not exactly popular," I mutter.
"I think I'd remember seeing you, even if you're not popular."
I scoff. "Trust me, I'm memorable."
"I've only been here a week," he says.
"Ah, I'm sure you'll get to know about me soon."
"Hopefully I'll have a class with you." He takes a sip of his beer, so I do the same. If I'm going to have a slightly awkward conversation about why he'll remember me, then I'm going to take the fortitude beer will give me.
"Hopefully you won't," I mutter too quietly for him to hear.
"Do you like it at Grimalkin?"
What's with all the questions? I don't think I've ever had this kind of bombardment before.
I shrug. "It's not what I thought it was going to be." That's a fair assessment. I never imagined magic would become difficult for me. I've been a natural my entire life. At least, according to my parents, I have. I can feel the difference in my magic since getting here though, and that's what convinces me that something is wrong.
"I know what you mean."
"I need to go find my friends," I blurt out, starting to step away from him.
"Won't you tell me your name first?" he asks.
I open my mouth to respond, not knowing if I actually want to answer or not. I'm confused, that's for sure.
"Mona, are you alright?" Ryan asks, placing a hand on my lower back.
I long to lean into his touch, but I know I shouldn't. He's not my boyfriend. He's barely even my friend.
"Yes, I'm fine," I respond with a weak smile.
"Is this guy bothering you?"
I shake my head. "He was being perfectly lovely." I smile at the new guy, even if my nerves are starting to show. It isn't his fault I'm wary of people. Far from it.
"He better be." He brings two fingers up to his eyes, then points at the new guy in the universal I'm-watching-you gesture.
I try not to laugh, and just grimace instead. I must look comical. Now neither of the guys will want to be friends with me. Which is fine. I don't need them. I have Daphne, I don't need anyone else.
"I need to go check on the music," the new guy says. "I'll see you around, Mona."
The way he says my name sends shivers down my spine. I don't think I'd ever be that kind of girl, but here I am acting like one.
"What was that about?" I ask Ryan, giving him a look that I hope comes across as stern, but probably falls very short.
"You looked like you needed saving." I can tell from his expression that he's telling the truth. And that he realises he might have overstepped.
"Thanks, but I don't need rescuing." I push past him and go in search of Daphne. My heart is pounding in my chest. I like Ryan. I find him attractive, sweet, and all the rest.
None of that matters if he's going to treat me like a wilting flower. I'm my own woman and no one is going to get in the way of that.
My head feels a little fuzzy from the beer. All of my good intentions flew out of the window about two cups ago. I don't want to admit it, but I'm actually having fun and the party atmosphere is starting to catch up with me. Which means lots of beer.
"Mona… come and play." Daphne waves me over, a crazed look on her face. She's had even more of the beer than I have and clearly is in the mood for some fun.
I stagger over, eager to see what they're doing. I might not join in, I can't forget I'm not wanted by most of my classmates, but that doesn't mean no fun. I'm going to make the most of the last party I'm ever going to be invited to.
"What are we doing?" I ask as I sit down next to her. I cross my legs, noting that's what the rest of the circle are doing. "Please tell me it's not spin the bottle?" Considering Ryan is part of the group, I doubt it. It's not the kind of game Daphne would play while he's around.
"This." She holds her wand up to her face and closes her eyes. Moments later, her nose turns bright yellow and elongates. She opens her mouth and a weird quacking sound comes out.
The rest of the people around us burst into giggles. I have to admit it's fun, though it does seem kind of dangerous, what if one of them gets stuck with the facial features of an animal?
Daphne points her wand at her face again, putting it back to normal and at least assuaging some of my fears about that.
Someone else goes next, growing a mane and roaring like a lion. I'll admit, it's impressive magic and easy to get caught up in the laughter. By the time Ryan grows a trunk and causes all kinds of mischief with it, I'm almost on board.
"Your turn, Mona," one of the girls says.
I gulp down my nerves. It doesn't feel like I should be doing this kind of thing with the way my magic is acting, but I also don't want to be the one who chickens out and doesn't join in.
Daphne shakes her head at me, but I ignore her. My palm sweats as I close my hand around my wand and bring it out. I'm going to prove I can do magic once and for all. I point my wand towards my nose and think about a cat's face. I don't even like cats that much, but there's something fun about the way they twitch their noses and their whiskers move. It'll be fun for the rest of the group, and doesn't feel like it'd be too hard.
I close my eyes and concentrate on the image I have. Please, please, work.
A small jolt of magic travels from my hand to my wand and hope blooms within me. It's nowhere near what I used to experience when I did magic, but it's more than I've had in recent weeks.
I open my eyes, expecting to see the others laughing at my new face. Except they're not. Each one of them is wearing expectant expressions, as if they're still waiting for me to do something.
"It hasn't worked," Daphne whispers to me.
I sigh. "I'm sorry everyone, maybe it's best to skip me."
There are grumbles around the circle, but I ignore them. Learning how to do that has saved me a lot of heartache recently. They move on and continue playing the game, but I don't miss the sneaky glances they're sending my way.
Ryan takes the attention away by transforming his face into that of a dog and licking the person next to him.
A short giggle escapes me, and he turns his attention to me with a wink. A blush I don't intend flames to my cheeks. I don't want Ryan to affect me as much as he does.
I sit back and watch everyone else, enjoying the way they're interacting with one another despite the fact I can't join in. After five more minutes, they seem to forget that I can't do what they can. At least that's something, it makes me feel like less of a freak.
Daphne's face lights up as she smiles at me. I don't want to ruin this for her by telling her I'm not as comfortable as she is. She's my best friend and she's having fun for the first time in weeks, I'd be a terrible person for pointing that out.
I just have to hope that this changes the way my classmates see me. Though I do doubt it. One day, I'll be okay with being an outsider. But I doubt it's going to be tomorrow.
- Writer
