T-E-N-S-I-O-N [-Gavin-]

[Adriane Brielle Koller]

Adriane nearly always payed attention in class. Both of her parents had been in Ravenclaw and her sister, Corinne, was also very smart. Adriane, however, wasn't as genius. She was by no means stupid, but in order to achieve good grades she would actually have to study and pay attention in class. Hard work was how she would succeed. It was nothing of which the be shameful. In fact, most would look at Adriane's work ethic as a strength, a valuable quality, something to covet.

Today, was different than most days. It was the first day of class and Adriane found it quite hard to focus. Yes, it was the first day back but it was more than just that to Adriane. It was the first day back of her last year at Hogwarts. Graduation would be here before she knew it and Adriane would have to decide what to do with her future. To become a Death Eater or not become a Death Eater? That was the question. It would fit in perfectly with her plan to finally take revenge, in her sister's name, upon her parents.

In class, Adriane was completely distracted and a bit tense. The anniversary of her Corinne's death was just shortly before the school year started. It was something her parents never acknowledged and always resulted in a fuming Adriane. This year, she had held it in and was about ready to burst. She sat the entire class, taking notes absent-mindedly, with while knuckles wrapped around her quill. Her jaw was clenched and she was holding her breath a bit. Class ended and her hand hurt, jaw sore. Adriane let out an audible sigh, packing up her things quickly and slinging her bag over her shoulder.

As she walked out, not speaking to anyone in her normal clique and saying some excuse for where she had to go, she accidentally bumped into Gavin, dropping the one book she carried in her arm. Before he could even move, she bent down and swiped it off of the floor. When she stood up, Adriane accidentally made eye contact with him. Her being bothered would be evident to the boy, who she hardly talked to during school but was her best friend. She turned and walked in a hurried manner out of the door, her end destination set to be the lake as it was still fairly nice outside at the beginning of this school year.

[Gavin Elijah Parker]

Gavin loved to learn. I guess you could say he was kind of a nerd… he definitely fit the stereotype of a typical Ravenclaw, that was for sure. He was a studier, a listener, and a learner. This type of behavior was probably part of the reason that his best friend… the friend that was sorted into Slytherin and sitting right in front of him at this very moment! Didn’t talk to him.

Now, Gavin didn’t really understand why Adriane didn’t talk to him. No… the fact that she didn’t hurt him. During the summer and prior years to Hogwarts they were great friends. Adriane would come up with an idea and he’d go along with it. It wasn’t like he did this only for her, though. No, he did it for all of his friends. Gavin definitely was a follower. This past summer, though… things were different. Gavin, being the oblivious boy he was… didn’t understand why he felt differently when he was around her, though.

Something was definitely up with her though, she seemed tense. The way she gripped her quill was a definite give-away… and she wouldn’t be able to get away with it so easy this time. No. Her friends were around, but… if he knew Adriane at all, she wouldn’t want to tell them what was wrong. She didn’t even tell him what was wrong. But… it was worth a try, no?

When class ended, Gavin quickly scribbled down the remainder of notes. It was habit to get it all down… and make it look nice! But in his hurried action, he turned suddenly to take a step into the aisle and bumped directly into her and she dropped her book. How’s that for a conversation starter? But alas, no. She picked up her book quickly before she glanced up at him, made eye contact, (how intriguing!) and Gavin knew he just had to talk to her. Just as he was about to open his mouth and say something, she took off, and was halfway down the hall before Gavin even was able to exit the room. Don’t we all just adore threads like these!

By the time the boy was even able to catch up to her (he realized she was going out by the lake), he was completely out of breath. He wasn’t an athletic boy in the least, and walking as fast as he was seemed to be quite the workout! But she was just standing there. He didn’t know what she was doing, and he didn’t think that putting a hand on her shoulder would be a good plan… so he stood about a foot behind her and looked out at the water. ”Hey… Adriane…” that was about all he could muster.

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[Adriane Brielle Koller]

Adriane wasn't such an emotional girl. No, she didn't get caught up with her emotions in a bunch of drama -- Not over-dramatic. When something bothered her, which was not often, it was something legitimate. It was not that she liked [insert name of hot guy here] and that [insert name of b!tchy girl here] liked him too. No, it wasn't something that frivolous when Adriane became upset. And especially not when she became visibly upset as she was very good at bundling up feelings with a nice bow and sending them away somewhere. It was just different when it came to her parents and Corinne. There was a lower threshold when it came to coping and Adriane had just about hit it.

Nobody at school had ever seen her truly angry before. Had they seen her annoyed? Yes. Pissed? Yes. But not truly angry. People judged you when you showed too much emotion and Adriane had her pride to keep intact. So, that's why she brushed off her Slytherin friends, who were hardly real friends for the most part. And that's why she brushed past her one true friend and headed for the lake. She didn't want to appear affected in front of her clique and she didn't want to lash out at Gavin. So, making eye contact was one of those big mistakes on Adriane's part that was truly necessary for the thread to take place.

Sh!t!, was her thought as she found herself staring directly into Gavin's dark eyes for the briefest moment. And then, nearly comparable to a bat out of hell, she flew through the hallways of the school, her heart pumping. When she got outside, she gathered into a half jog down to the lake, coming up to the edge of it and discarding her one book and her schoolbag on the grass near to her. Her fists were clenched at her side, her jaw clenched as well as her eyes fixated on the calm, dark waters of the lake. She stared at her reflection, looking over her tensed exterior. Her eyes clouded with tears. She missed her sister and she was so frustrated about waiting until the end of the school year to get at her parents once and for all. They should have died a long time ago. It should have been them that got the killing curse and not Corinne.

The soft, labored breathing behind her slowly filtered into her ears and registered with her brain. She closed her eyes, not moving and still tense, waiting for that familiar voice which she expected to come...

”Hey… Adriane…”

She let out a long, audible sigh through her nose, her chest heaving.

"Gavin...how about you make a point of being less of a clutz in class, hm?" she said, immediately feeling a pang of guilt at her words. She had already adjusted to being back in school and that was the normal way she treated him when around friends. Her fists unclenched. Adriane folded her arm over her chest, her hands gripping each of her biceps firmly. She sighed again, quieter, still looking at the lake with watery eyes - though no tears would fall.

[Gavin Elijah Parker]

Gavin looked out at the water for the longest time. He didn’t want to bother her… he knew how she acted at school and he should probably have just let her be. Gavin knew his feelings would probably be hurt at the end of this conversation… or even sooner. He wasn’t sure of when… but definitely was sure that it would happen. After all… she had an image to uphold… and he was probably ruining it.

Which is why it was awhile before he had said anything. Nervous? Definitely. Gavin felt like he needed to be there for her, whatever the problem. Of course, she was not one to tell people when she was upset or even search for a shoulder to cry on… no. She was much like Gavin that way. They just hold it in… and take it out at the worst of times. Gavin could control himself though… not once had he ever lashed out at Adriane.

”Gavin… how about you make a point of being less of a clutz in class, hmm?”

A… klutz? Gavin? Well, maybe. But he wasn’t sure why she was calling him a klutz. He didn’t really do anything, except run into her. But that was partially her fault, too, no? She was the one who seemed to be on a mission to leave class… he!l she didn’t even talk to any of her friends… Gavin was surprised at that… and surprised that they had nothing to say to him. He shook it off though, and looked at the back of Adriane’s head, since she had no inclination of turning around it seemed.

Gavin contemplated what to say. He didn’t know what to say. He was at a loss for words, and that bothered him. Normally he had all the right words. It was this… awful thing he got when he talked to girls though. Luckily… it didn’t happen very often around Adriane. ”Well, I… would… but then I… wouldn’t have had an excuse to follow you out here, now… would I have?” Stressful, that was! Gavin could already feel a blush coming across his cheeks. He just wished she would turn around. It was much easier to talk to her when she was looking at him. A comfort zone thing, most likely.

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[Adriane Brielle Koller]

She always felt a pang of guilt each time she said something mean to Gavin, but he never brought it up to her. He just let her walk all over him and just took it. Adriane was lucky he was so nice and hadn't pushed her away by now. Lucky? Well, yes because she didn't quite know what she would do without Gavin. He meant a lot to her, although he did not know it and she had no intention of telling him. He was the first friend she made after moving because of the "Corinne incident". He helped cheer her up and get back to some sort of normal place.

Normal...but different. Adriane couldn't help all the anger that she harbored and how Corinne's death had changed her. Apparently the sorting hat had picked up on it, sorting her into Slytherin and socially separating her and Gavin. Adriane couldn't become a Slytherin odd-ball, so she made a point of fitting-in. In fact, one could even say she got accustomed to the Slytherin ways, finding herself drawn to the dark arts. But she was still a feeling human being, capable of softer emotions. Gavin reminded her of that and that's why she liked him. Not just liked him but like-liked him. You know...Well, now you know but Gavin doesn't. And Adriane had felt that way for years.

”Well, I… would… but then I… wouldn’t have had an excuse to follow you out here, now… would I have?”

How...sort of awkward. Adriane let out one last resounding sigh, before whirling around to face him. Gavin was her weakness and him attempting to inject some humor into the situation, awkwardly so...well how could she stay cold to that? She couldn't. He would be able to see her watery eyes and how her form was completely tense. A weak smile formed on her lips and she took a step closer to him, throwing her arms around him unexpectedly. She looked over his shoulder. Nobody was around. That was good. And then, in an instant, her focus was completely back upon Gavin.

"You don't need an excuse," she said, hugging him tightly.

[Gavin Elijah Parker]

Ah… how awkward Gavin was! He could not talk to the back of Adriane’s head without messing up his words and sounding like a complete imbecile. What sort of Ravenclaw was he, if he couldn’t form sentences? Really? Or maybe it was just that he liked Adriane in a way that he couldn’t describe… But that wasn’t it. Gavin didn’t like her like that. Well, he liked her, but not like that. She could be really mean to him, and he didn’t much appreciate that… but he did let her walk all over him…

Gavin heard her sigh. Was that a sign? Was she going to turn around so he wouldn’t have to speak so awkwardly anymore? Was she… ah, yes. Gavin smiled at her. Or… at least in her direction. Who knew what she was going to do to him… yell at him for following? Slap him? Shoot some sort of curse or jinx at him? Gavin didn’t know. But he expected the worst, of course. He was used to it. School wasn’t the best place for them…

Gavin took a good look at her. Adriane’s eyes were watery and she was still rather tense, as he had noted earlier during class. He hadn’t seen her like this before… at least in awhile. But it did dawn on him… what time of year this was… Corrine. Gavin still did not know what the deal was with that situation, as she told him the topic was “off limits.” But it was around that time, wasn’t it?

Must have been, for… suddenly, and completely out of the blue, Adriane… hugged him. She HUGGED him. Gavin’s eyes grew wide unexpectedly and he didn’t know what to do. Should he hug her back? Should he pretend like he didn’t care? Should he act like he didn’t know who she was…? He didn’t want to hurt her reputation… as much as doing so would hurt him. So he stood there like the dorky guy he was, tensing a bit at her touch.

”You don’t need an excuse.”

Really? Because that wasn’t what she said last… aw, who was he kidding? He relished every moment he got to spend with Adriane at Hogwarts, since she didn’t seem to like to spend time with him while they were there. His arms instinctively wrapped tight around her. He missed her. He missed… the Adriane he knew from the summer… that seemed to disappear when school came around.

But this moment… he wanted to keep it. Take a picture in his mind and keep it there… as things like this didn’t happen very often. ”How are you holding up, Adriane?” he asked softly. Since they both knew that an answer to that question would be rhetorical. They both knew that he, on normal occasions, would indeed need an excuse.

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[Adriane Brielle Koller]

When his arms wrapped around her, she let out a sigh of relief, a tear falling from one eye and trailing slowly down one cheek. She squeezed him, hard, closing her eyes and breathing him. Gavin always..aaalways smelled of clean laundry and soap. Perhaps that's why Adriane favored the smell of clean linens so much. The smell made her relax, somewhat. So, she squeezed him hard for that one moment before relaxing her hug. Adriane wasn't quite ready to let go yet. Hugging was perfectly acceptable. It wouldn't give her away. Friends hugged, especially friends under a lot of stress.

Stress that Gavin didn't quite know about and perhaps would never know about. Adriane had never spoken a word to anyone about Corinne. Many people didn't even know she had a sister except for old professors who recognized the last name. It was just something she didn't talk about. People would ask how she had died and then Adriane would be forced to tell him the lie about how Death Eaters had killed her rather than the truth. Rather than the truth that Corinne's eyes had been watery as Adriane's were at this moment when she took her own wand, pointed it at herself, and uttered the killing curse while looking straight into Adriane's eyes.

Her bottom lip quivered and Adriane bit it, hard. She drew in a long, deep breath, her chest heaving against Gavin's in their embrace.

”How are you holding up, Adriane?”

"Obviously, I'm so f*cking great." She slumped, burrying her head near to Gavin's chest where he could probably feel her tears falling at a more rapid pace. Adriane had never really been this physically close to Gavin for this extended period of a time and despite all the stressful emotions she was feeling, she also felt girlish butterflies in her stomach. Those were her most secret emotions. "This is...the worst.....year for it ever. I'm sorry." So she could give a bit of truth away. It was Gavin. She could probably even tell him....Oh..and the apology. Random right? It was more an apology for being the way she was during the school year. Sort of, an all encompassing apology.

[Gavin Elijah Parker]

Gavin smiled lightly. He couldn’t remember Adriane hugging him… ever. Well. Once and awhile but it was more of a “hey hi how are you?” type of hug. Not like this. This was… this was… this… was… new. It had emotion. Gavin raised an eyebrow, hoping that Adriane would not look up at him and notice his confusion. Not that he didn’t like it of course… of course he liked it! He was her best friend! And friends… hugged! Yes, they did! And it was nice! And he liked it! A lot! So much that he didn’t want to let go…

Why didn’t he want to let go?

Gavin assumed that it was just because he felt the need to protect her. As much as he knew that she could handle doing everything on her own. But she seemed… alone, and vulnerable right now. He wanted to be there for her. He wanted to tell her it would be okay… but they both would know that it wouldn’t be okay. Gavin knew what it was like to lose someone to a death eater attack. His grandfather had gone the same way… So he knew how she felt. Rather… he didn’t know… but he could empathize, since he’d been through a similar event.

But the truth was, of course, oblivious to the boy. Hugging Adriane was a way of being close to her, since they’d been apart for so long. Well, not long in the physical sense, but in the emotional sense. Neither of them really spoke during the school year, much to Gavin’s disappointment. What he didn’t realize was that the reason he wanted to be near her and hug her… was because he actually liked her. But he couldn’t like her, right? They weren’t right for each other. They were so different. Adriane needed someone tough who could handle her…

But Gavin could handle her… he had for a long time. That wasn’t the thought running through his head. Gavin, who always had had a somewhat low level of self-esteem, never thought he was good enough. And he definitely thought he wasn’t good enough for Adriane… Which is why any thought of him potentially having somewhat of a crush on her was pushed directly out of his mind. He just wanted to be close to her so he could know what was going on… and to help her. He had a strong desire to help those in need…

”Obviously, I’m so f*cking great.”

Gavin felt her bury her head in his chest. A spot on his shirt was beginning to feel cool to the touch on his skin, but he didn’t mind. He was going to be there for his friend. His… best friend. Nothing more than that.

”This is… the worst… year for it ever. I’m sorry.”

Gavin expected the first part. Of course it was the worst… Corinne was around this age when she died, wasn’t she? Or was she going into her sixth year? Gavin couldn’t remember the details, as Adriane had only told him once, and then made him swear never to bring it up again. Being the little wallflower that he was, agreed. And he hadn’t brought it up yet. It was the second part that caught him off guard. Adriane was not one to say sorry. Not at all. Gavin didn’t even know why she was saying sorry. If it was because of the way she treated him, he overlooked it. Gavin was so used to the treatment by now that he expected it.

Although, it was their last year at Hogwarts and he hoped that Adriane could overlook their differences and treat him as her friend again. ”I don’t exactly know why you’re sorry… you don’t have to be…” Little wallflower Gavin. Being so accommodating. Maybe that’s why Adriane did not want to be nice to you during the school year? You don’t have enough ba!ls to go out and do something spontaneous…

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[Adriane Brielle Koller]

”I don’t exactly know why you’re sorry… you don’t have to be…”

Quickly, she picked up her head from his chest and looked slightly up at him. A frown had formed on her face and her brow furrowed. Her makeup looked slightly messed but at least her hair was pulled properly away from her face thanks to her headband. Adriane was only a couple of inches shorter than Gavin so she only had to tilt her head up slightly to look him in the eyes. Her cold icy, blue eyes were still clouded by her tears.

Yes, he was so nice. Too nice to her. What would ever happen if he stood up to her one day? Grew a pair and said "You know what Adriane, I'm a man so stop treating me like I'm your b!tch or something". Then what would Adriane do? Well, she really hadn't a clue because she never thought Gavin capable of such a thing. She couldn't even picture it. No, Gavin must have valued their friendship so much that he would just take the emotional and mental abuse and stick around.

Adriane's greatest fear was to be completely alone and be lost in herself. Right now, she had Gavin. She needed him. He was her best friend and...well, yeah. He wouldn't ever feel the same way about her. Being her friend was one thing, but surely he could never have those types of feelings for her when she treated him the way she did. That's why she had never even brought it up to him. In reality, they could have had a relationship. Their friendship was a secret. They could have a secret relationship as well.

It's just that Adriane never thought that Gavin would want that from her. Sure she was pretty. Guys liked her and she was..well endowed. But Gavin was her friend and he was just so sweet. He would want a sweet girl, not one so complicated. He wouldn't want some girl that was so weak that she gave in to social pressures and was so awful to her best friend. That's how Adriane thought of herself. She was terribly conflicted. The girl knew what she was doing was wrong, but pride was a strong force and she just couldn't fight it at age 17. At least, it seemed that way now.

So she liked Gavin. A lot. But she wasn't going to tell him. And it wasn't like he had a girlfriend. There was nothing to demand jealousy or a divulging of feelings. So, Adriane could just stay silent and hug him like this when it was appropriate. Be close to him.

"I wish it was summer all year round. I'm such a b!tch to you during the school year. Only good part of coming back is getting away from my parents. They don't.....they don't even acknowledge the time of year......for...Corinne." A monumental statement. She had never verbally addressed that way she treated him during school. Somehow it had just become..understood. Her arms were wrapped up around his neck and she just looked him in the eye. I like you. I like you. I like you!, she thought, her eyes glossing over his features. It was how close she felt to him now...that's why things were slipping out about Corinne..

[Gavin Elijah Parker]

Adriane’s eyes were still a bit clouded with tears. Gavin didn’t know what he should say, or what he should do… In reality, he was kind of afraid… Who knows what would happen if he tried to comfort her, further than what she procured. As much as he wanted to… he wasn’t going to. He wasn’t as brave as one might think when it came to Adriane…

Gavin began to wonder how Adriane would act if he managed to get himself a girlfriend. How would she feel? Would she be nicer to him…? Would she torture the girl to no end? Probably. Maybe that’s why Gavin did not want to get a girlfriend? He wouldn’t want to put a girl through that… Gavin himself couldn’t even manage to keep a hold on things when she was being horrid to him. It hurt… and he couldn’t imagine how a girl would feel, considering that she wouldn’t have known Adriane as well as he did.

Because… as mentioned previously… Gavin hadn’t come to terms with the way he felt about Adriane. Of course, there was a part of him that knew he liked her, and wished for something more… unfortunately… the idea of them being together just did not make too much sense to him. Well, it did. He would have liked nothing more. He just… didn’t know why he felt the way he did… since… the way she treated him an all. It didn’t make a lot of sense, the way he felt… Which is most likely why he didn’t come to terms with it, and didn’t talk to her about it.

Aside from that, there was no way that she liked him back! No possible way! She was too pretty for him, and too Slytherin-y… all the guys seemed to be after her… and he was just some lowly Ravenclaw. Not cool enough to be with a Ravenclaw… He!l she didn’t even want to be around him… and they were supposedly best friends.

”I wish it was summer all year round. I’m such a b!tch to you during the school year. Only good part of coming back is getting away from my parents. They don’t… they don’t even acknowledge the time of year… for… Corinne.”

Gavin just looked at her. So she knew that she treated him horribly. He raised an eyebrow. He didn’t want to upset her any more than she already was… ”You… don’t. Do that,” he stated, fumbling his words a bit. Lying made him nervous. ”And… you know that you’re welcome to stay with my family if… you know, things get too rough. My parents adore you…” True. Gavin just looked at Adriane. She almost, almost looked as if she wanted to say something… but she didn’t.

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[Adriane Brielle Koller]

”You… don’t. Do that.”

She huffed, not missing how Gavin stumbled all over his words. He had to think about what he was saying which was a dead giveaway for a lie. Besides, Adriane was very good at picking up on social cues and was a very good liar herself. Safe to say, she was fairly good at spotting a bad one and Gavin..well, he was a bad one.

"Cut it out. I do too."

She sighed.

”And… you know that you’re welcome to stay with my family if… you know, things get too rough. My parents adore you…”

Adriane bit her lip, looking off to the side. She always loved Gavin's parents and always hated leaving his house to return to her own. But, she had never even thought to ask if she could stay with his family. Sure, she had thought about it, but she never seriously considered it being an option. Things had been too rough for years...Adriane just never said anything about it. That's why Gavin was hardly invited over to her house and when he was over..Well, that was the only time Adriane ever played nice with her parents. They were always a bit nice to her, fully aware of how much she hated them because of Corinne. But, Adriane would never play along. Only for show and only for people she cared about, like Gavin.

If she cared so much for Gavin, why couldn't she just tell him about Corinne? Well, it was just...so hard to talk about and she had never done it before. Her parents never granted her with a conversation and Adriane did not breath a word of the truth to anyone..ever. But now it just seemed like she should. She should tell him. It would make sense and he would keep the secret. Adriane was sure of it.

"Your parents are wonderful. They don't..........they..." She looked back at him, visibly struggling to say it. "They don't cover up how they drove their daughter to use the killing curse on herself with some bullsh!t story about a Death Eater attack." Her eyes welled, tears falling quickly now. She closed them tightly, pursing her lips to avoid sobbing.

[Gavin Elijah Parker]

”Cut it out. I do too.”

Yeah, she did. But Gavin was trying to be nice by saying she didn’t… but Adriane, just like pretty much the entirety of the population could see right through his lies. Ah… he really needed to work on that. That… or he needed to straight up stop lying. It would probably end up being for the best, as… he just never got better at it.

Gavin didn’t know why he lied, anyway… he hated liars. The thought of someone lying about something to him… something major… made him sick to the stomach. OF course… the things he lied about weren’t super huge… just an… “I’m trying to make you feel better” lie. Because that was all Gavin seemed to be good for… making other people feel better. Not that he minded of course. He didn’t like attention.

Gavin remembered the last time that Adriane had come over. She never seemed to want to leave… He shrugged it off of course. He never assumed that her home life was bad. And he recalled what his mum said when she finally did leave, and it still brought a little color to his cheeks, even now, thinking about it. “I like that girl. If you’re planning on knocking anyone up, it better be her.” She said it with a chuckle, and jokingly, of course. Gavin knew that wouldn’t happen… She didn’t like him like that.

”Your parents are wonderful. They don’t………..they… They don’t cover up how they drove their daughter to use the killing curse on herself with some bullshit story about a Death Eater attack.”

Gavin looked at her, the color in his cheeks fading out a bit. It was clearly hard for her… and he had to admit, he definitely did not see that one coming. He couldn’t believe it, though. It had been so long since Corinne, and he had always been told that it was a death eater that killed her, just like his grandfather. And it was off limits. And… why was she telling him now? Did she finally need a shoulder to cry on? Gavin was so there. Not that he wouldn’t be there any other time… it was just… it made a lot of sense now. Really.

Gavin looked at Adriane. He wanted to do something. He wanted to tell her it would be okay, and then they’d both know that it wouldn’t be. Lend a comforting word… all that jazz. Maybe tuck her hair behind her ear and kiss…. NO, NO, NO. That was incorrect, and he was not going to be attempting that. Maybe another time… ”I… I don’t know what to say…” Gavin’s eyes whisked across her features. He couldn’t recall one time when he’d seen her so vulnerable, and pulled her into a tight hug again.

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[Adriane Brielle Koller]

Adriane wouldn't see the color gather in Gavin's cheeks. No, she was too preoccupied with her thoughts of Corinne and the fact she could have gotten out of her house years ago and lived with Gavin. How much would her life had been different if she had lived with Gavin? They would have woken up together in the morning and spent 100% of their time together and...then maybe..maybe? they could have had something.

Maybe he could have seen straight through her if she was around him constantly and caught off guard in a sleepy haze. And then maybe he could have saved her before she turned into what she was now. A mess who wanted so badly to murder her parents. The second part, was of course a secret.

When the tears started to race down her cheeks, she closed her eyes tightly. She didn't want Gavin to see her like this. All weak and pathetic with her makeup all messed and such. It was right embarrassing. Her cheeks turned red as she pursed her lips to stop the bottom one from quivering and letting out on of those wretched sobs. But if anyone could make it better, it was Gavin. That's why she had told him, hadn't she? She expected something. She expected him to take her and hold her and never let her go until she stopped crying. It was sappy, but completely true.

”I… I don’t know what to say…”

She opened her eyes to look at him as he spoke and watched how he looked at her. Just say I'm a complete mess!, she thought. And then he pulled her back into the hug and she squeezed him tight. And that's when the sobs came. They were small, not completely obnoxious. They were more like silent sobs where her shoulders heaved and noticeable shook their hug. She cried into his neck, which had to be uncomfortable.

"Can you...can you just rub my back?" And she knew he would do it and it would make her feel better, her sobs noticeable decreasing.

[Gavin Elijah Parker]

Gavin really did not know what to say about Adriane’s sister. He hadn’t expected something like that, not at all. How perfectly awful! Of course, Gavin did not know that Adriane had seen the whole thing, which would have made him even more speechless. As if he even had anything to say now…

Actions speak louder than words, do they not? Gavin thought so, which was part of the reason that he pulled her back into a hug. Well, that, and he didn’t want to see her cry. It wasn’t like he was bothered by it, not at all… he just hated to see her so upset. Gavin hated to see anyone upset, really, but Adriane… it was so much worse. She was his best friend…

Gavin could feel her start to actually sob. His brow furrowed and he rested his cheek on the top of her head. Gavin did not cry, and his reasoning was not because he was a man. He just… bottled his emotions up. Of course, if something as emotional as what Adriane was going through happened to him, he might… but more than likely not. He was more of a… punch a wall type of guy. Most definitely.

”Can you…can you just rub my back?”

Yeah, he could do that. He couldn’t do much more for being in such shock, but he definitely would do whatever she asked. OF course… this was something he’d do on any given day. He was that taken with her. But… he’d never show it. She wasn’t into him, remember? Gavin started to move his hands down and then back up her back. He would have turned her around… but he just wanted to hold on to her. For as long as he could, of course. Because who knows how long it would be before she pushed him away and went off with her gaggle of friends.

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[Adriane Brielle Koller]

She took a deep breath in letting it out slowly, but shakily. Even with how distraught she was, there was a sense of relief to the situation. There it was - All out and in the open. Well, almost all of it about Corinne that was. And she couldn't have picked a better person to tell. Gavin held her like she wanted and the way he rested his cheek upon her head, Adriane could tell her cared about her...as a friend, that is.

He was her best friend in the entire world and she only wished she had let this all out sooner. Now she could share it with him and he could help her when she needed. Well, that was when she wasn't treating him like a piece of cow dung when she was around her popular clique of Slytherin friends. "Friends" that would not hold her like this when she cried. She would have never even dared to cry in front of those people, let alone tell them this huge secret.

And when she asked him to rub her back, he complied just in the ideal way. He still held her close, so she could lean into him with her arms still locked up around his neck. It was pure comfort, something she had not once received from anyone since Corinne's death. Her parents weren't a source. Sure, there was a funeral type thing, but the people that hugged her there were not welcome. It wasn't like she wanted it then. She didn't know them and the wound was just so fresh that it hurt to be touched in anyway. Now, Adriane felt...safe. She let out another sigh, her body relaxing and the tears slowly stopping the trail down her cheeks.

"Oh Gavin," she sighed close to his ear. "I....I watched her do it. She...Corinne..she..." Adriane felt tired, moving back from their tight embrace to look Gavin in the eye. "She looked at me like this. Just like I'm looking at you when she did it. Of course she was farther away...but.....I don't...." Her eyes welled again. "I don't want you to let go. Please don't let go," she said before pulling herself to him again. She made a point of closing her eyes just so she could concentrate on that smell again. Clean laundry and soap...and her breathing started to relax once more.