Snake in the Grass {Nik, Liv, Rose, and King}

[blackveilbridexx]

Maxwell sighed, savoring the short time he had left with Olivia. The moment would have been perfect if Logan hadn't been involved. He almost wanted to push her away so he wouldn't further hurt himself, but his form was rigid. He couldn't just leave her alone in the Forbidden Forest; it was much too dangerous. Still, his feet itched to just run away from his feelings. He wasn't sure where he'd go; perhaps the Black Lake...

Max shook his head at Olivia's appology. "No problem." he murmured, watching as she pulled away from him and held onto his hand. Her feelings had to have been pretty jummbled, so he didn't take the gesture seriously. She was falling for Logan, not him. At her question, he lifted his free hand, wiping away her leftover tears with his thumb. "If you go back, you have to face Nikita and Logan. If you wait, you'll be alone." he said, trying to figure out what she should do. "If you think you can handle it, go back. I can come with you, if you want." he offered, trying not to keep his hopes up. Why did she have such an effect on him? Maybe he was better off just being on his own. Love was so complicated...

[Olivia Zariah Ryall]

She nodded, a syncopated gester. It was a hard decision, either chasing after what she wanted and thought she needed or staying with something new. Maxwell was, as far as she new, uncharted. Except for the Zoey girl but who actually liked her? Besides Noah of course so he's got her in the bag. Who did Maxwell honestly have to go for?
It was a cruel way to look at things and she surely wouldn't want a pity date. Nothing was worse than people feeling bad for you. Smitten or not she wanted Maxwell to come with. She was weak and faint hearted to any kind of pain. A heart break wasn't what she wanted but maybe what Olivia needed. A sharp realization to shock her into reality.
Logan wasn't real.
She nodded curtly taking the first step toward Logan, mentally preparing herself for failure a nagging security of knowing Maxwell was there if she needed him. Her heart raced every sense of her torn. Logan.... Max.

[Logan Kings]

Logan's eyes went wide as Nikita blabbed something that the oblivious Logan never would have guessed at. He and Olivia were just buds, weren't they? Just buds His gaze flickered to Olivia, who seemed too stunned for words. That was so strange. Olivia always had a come back. She was far more witty than even he, and he had never seen here at loss for words.
Tears sparkled down his tiny friend's cheeks, even as she did her best to wipe them away, secretively. He couldn't stand seeing her cry, and had to fight an overwhelming urge to reach out and try to console her. But, the pixie-like Ravenclaw dashed away before he had a chance. His hand was outstretched, almost like he was tryignt o pull her back, but she was too far gone, so he dropped the limb. He felt so numb with cold hatred, but not at his friend. Not Olivia. It was Nikita.
He wheeled around, and his wand pointed at her. Using a spell he was rather famous for in the Dueling Clubs, he shouted the words taught to him by the Weasleys. "Eat slugs, bitch!" And smield as the Slytherein was soon puking up the vile vermin. "Nikita Snape you are a total bitch, and yet you wonder why no one likes you. You've made a terrible enemy, tonight, and I will make sure your precious DE falls." He took the chance between a retch to slap her across the face, and held back the kick he would have used if she were a male. "Do the world a favor. Go. Die.

[blackveilbridexx]

Oh, Olivia...that girl certainly put a spin on Max's heart. She had her hold on him, almost like the gravitational force that held you on a rollercoaster during loops. You wouldn't be able to break free, even if you tried. He felt his fingers curl gently around Olivia's hand, feeling the difference between the softness of hers verse the lightly-callused of his own. Swallowing lightly, he allowed Olivia to tote him along, willing to go anywhere she wished. He wouldn't put up a fight; even if they couldn't be an item, he could still be a friend to her.

After a few minutes of walking in utter silence, he came across two things; Logan with a rather livid look, and then the vomiting form of Nikita. Normally he wouldn't condone this type of behavior, but despite all the rivalry he wanted to give Logan a high-five. He suddenly felt very jealous, remembering why he was there, anyway. He didn't dare look at Olivia; he didn't want to see how she looked at Logan. That would just kill him.

"Logan." he said curtly, feeling his jaw tighten.

[Olivia Zariah Ryall]

It wasn't much of a heartbreak to see Logan as she expected. It was still him though. The guy that fulfilled Olivia's desperate attempts for family. Her own, completely oblivious to the fact that she was always going to be the short, red-head, who loved magic and photograph, never conforming to being a muggle when there was so much more she had to achieve. She knew that Logan, oblivious to her tedious attempts to win his heart, only thought them as -almost family-. Her eyebrows knotted together watching Logan tower over the –notsomuchunconscious- Slytherin as she vomited slugs. Watching Nikita, finally getting what she deserved produced a bubble of laughter in Olivia's mind.
Logan.
The thought of laughter seized as she felt Maxwell's grip get slightly tighter, his expressions changing completely. Confusion swept her mind as she averted her eyes toward the ground. HE cares, but would it make a difference if HE did?
Nothing made sense anymore. It was all that slimy Slytherin's fault. Or was it Logan's. For not noticing. Nikita only told the truth. Olivia felt her heart strain under the pressure. Once when she was seven her mother had a panic attack, when Olivia left her crayons in the backseat, thus melting and ruining the brand new car. Grabbing Olivia by the ear and trailing her inside Mrs. Ryall began to scream at her, a mirthless sound attacking the little girl's heart. Mrs. Ryall passed out when Olivia screamed back shattering the owl coo-coo clock in the living room. Even though the little girl was terrified she felt resentment build up in a dark corner of her heart.
It felt like that now.
Except she wasn't a little girl, and the scars were now permanent.

[Logan Kings]

Logan looked up from the scene, his eyes being able to take no more of the Slytherine chucking slugs, though he did not end the spell. Nikita deserved worse, much worse, than this tiny little inncident. Besides, the slimy garden pests would stop coming up by morning...Or so he hoped.
His blue eyes found Maxxie first, and immediately they narrowed. How long had it been that the two of them actually spoke? It was not a secret that the boys could barely stand to be within twenty meters of each other, when at one point they had been nearly as insperable as Logan and Olivia were to this current day. He opened his mouth, and uttered the single syllabal. "Max" His frown became more and more apparent as he saw that his ex friend's hand was intertwined with Olivia's and Logan's heart skipped a pair of beats. He should have seen this coming. Of course Olivia liked Maxxie. He cussed himself out, internally, and he felt a pang of annoyance at the Gryffindor. Wasn't this almost exactly the same scenario that occured three years ago? Except, it was Olivia. But, a girl they had both fancied, and the fists started flying. Except Olivia was his friend. And Maxxie, this time, wasn't.
"Olivia" He started, and wasn't sure how to continue. Did she want him to ignore what Nikita had said, or tell her the way he felt. But...
Max might not have ben his friend, but Logan had hurt him enough. Should he take Olivia away? Though he hadn't read the bible in god knows how long, the story of King Solomon and the two women immediatly came to mind. Could Olivia cut her in half? Or should he just let Max have her? In a non-trophy kind of way?
He blinked a few times, and realized that he needed to get his emotions in check before he started tearing up. Quidditch captains didn't cry.

[/size]

[blackveilbridexx]

Why did things always have to end this way? Max closed his eyes breifly, inhaling and then releasing the cold air from his lungs. His berath floated in front of him in a ghostly manner for a few moments before drifting towards the heavens and gradually disappearing. If only life could be that simple. Running a hand thorugh his hair and noticing how numb his fingertips were, he really considered going inside. He couldn't stand looking at Logan; he just couldn't. When their eyes met as Logan uttered his name, Max felt himself become rigid. He didn't even want to hear that git say his name under any circumstances, polite or not. He begrudingly nodded and let go of Olivia's hand. As the air rushed to his palm he felt that familiar sting that only came with this sort of temperture.

He glanced at Liv with gentle eyes before wringing his hands and clearing his throat, which he noted was dry. "I'll leave you two to work things out." he said quietly, expression sinking as he turned, shoving his hands into his pockets. He knew he wasn't meant to be Olivia...she and Logan were meant for eachother. Why did he even bother? Now Maxwell wasn't one to have a pity party, but right now he wanted to walk somewhere else in the forest and mope. Maybe he'd pet a few more thestrals...or something. Now he just needed some serious time to think, think and then clear his mind.

Looking to his side where a tree had a few low branches, he grabbed onto one that was as high as his arms could reach and pulled himself up. As he climbed, he smiled slightly, remembering the days he used to spend in the summer, climbing up the trees that were in his back yard. Those were the good ole days. After finding a high enough limb, he rested himself on the crook of one, hoping it wouldn't fall under his weigh.

[Olivia Zariah Ryall]

It wasn't fair.
Nor did any of this work out straight in her mind. The complexes of the heart were still a confusing battle between wit and love. What in the bloody hell was love? Caring for another so strongly that you'd take any spell, hex for them? Logan she would surely do this, well anyone. That was just the way she was designed, not to be broken. Even now she treaded on breaking her own heart from failure to choose the right person. Did she want Maxwell or Logan? Logan who knew her inside and out, or Max who just understood her?
A part of her tore at her senses as Maxwell drifted away, knowing that she was causing just as much turmoil to him as it flooded her own body.
He didn't show much feeling. Besides the burning hatred that fumed upward as Maxxie walked away leaving the vomiting Slytherin (not mention half passed out) and two unsure Ravenclaws in his wake. Nothing was exactly black and white, but the gray areas became more and more fuzzy trying to deceiver what it was depicting. There was nothing much to say. Besides everything that she wanted to boil out, explain that the night at the dance wasn't a fluke. Or anything. He cared, and she cared more. Olivia begged that this would be different and hated being so selfish. She wanted all of him, Max wanted all of her, and Logan.... who the hell knew what he wanted?
"Logan." Her voice cracked a tick in her plan. If she couldn't even say his name how was she suppose to tell him everything. "No-thing to say?"
The urge to pull him close and sob into his shoulders was overbearing, the least she could do was drag her feet as she advanced toward him. A mixture of feelings washed over her facial expressions making it hard to determine what she felt. Not even she knew what she felt. Only knowing that despondency had begun to spew forth ejecting streams of tears tumbling to the earth.
Why was everything so god damn hard?

[Logan Kings]

Logan dropped his eyes suddenly. The night that had seemed so simple at it's start had turned out... interesting to say the least. He knew Olivia like him, and this made him wanna smile, and jump for joy, but Maxxie was in love with her, and might be better for the young Ravenclaw. His frown became more apparent as he stared at the ground, glaring at the dirt. Things were so complicated. The picture of his life had been torn and crumpled, and he as unsure of whether to theoretically get a new one, or try and salvage the trash.
He looked up, and secretively watched Olivia, before looking down again. His shoulders slumped, and he rubbed the back of his neck as a red heat spread up the back of his throat. He flashed a sunny grin, hoping it made his friend aware of how sorry he was, and sobered just as quickly. He sighed, deeply, and his crooked smile returned, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Well, hell, Livs. I have lots to say, but I'm pretty sure none of them are what you're talking about. For example, I'm hungry, or.... Should I get the charm off her before she spews her last slug?, but when have you known me to have nothing to say?"
He glanced at the rapidly disapearing form of Maxxie, and frowned, further. "He's in love wiht you, ya know that. He'd be here to protect you, instead of abandoning you, like I'm gonna end up doing" He hoped she wasn't taking that wrongly. Of course he was head over heels for her, but was he the best? He wouldn't be here for her the next two years, and he knew she'd need him. Or at least someone. His heart went out to her, but his mouth was oddly dry of speech. In the back of his mind, he wondered what the hell she was doing to him. He never felt or acted this way, before.

[/size]

[Olivia Zariah Ryall]

Smile?
She paused, stopping in mid pace forcing herself to obey. "Well, hell, Livs. I have lots to say, but I'm pretty sure none of them are what you're talking about. For example, I'm hungry, or.... Should I get the charm off her before she spews her last slug?, but when have you known me to have nothing to say?"
"He's in love with you, ya know that. He'd be here to protect you, instead of abandoning you, like I'm gonna end up doing."

She froze; the images blurred around Olivia as she felt herself crumple to her knees. The tears flowed freely staining the ground in a pattern of sorrow. Max didn't know her raw insides, the ones she freely expressed with Logan. It would be great with Maxwell but a part of herself would always be missing. The hole in her heart where your first love resided. Olivia wouldn't be able to take it if there was not the slightest bit of the love given back. "I know. I know. I KNOW!" she screeched, an unconscious movement, rocking back and forth on her knees. Guess her looks weren't the only thing passed down by here mother, anxiety was just another factor in her screwed up mind. "He would be, perfect. Great, maybe even better than you, and I love him for it. I just don't LOVE him like you. I'm just your little buddy, fifth year friend. Your out next year, college! Getting a Muggle job. Forgetting all about that short girl that you saved from nearly dying of Allergic reaction, not once, TWICE. Why do you have to make it so complicated? If you don't like me, don't love me like I do then just tell me so I don't have to keep getting led on by you okay? Go with Nikita, Vikki, see if i give a shit. Just stop turning my insides right side up then thinking we're just friends, family friends, cuz' we're not!" Breathing in deeply Olivia looked up, the slight make up she put on smeared down the side of her face. Waterproof mascara eventually broke down also. "All I wanted to do, was fix your photography. Now I'm spilling my heart out, over you.."
Olivia sighed her rocking stopping as she directed her eyes toward the ground. There was nothing more to say. Her heart and throat rubbed raw of words that felt like vomit against her tongue. Maybe it wasn't just the bitter aftertaste of her words but the over extremity of feelings that had her bend over and retch out a few side dishes from dinner.

[Logan Kings]

Logan's jaw dropped as Olivia shouted at him, her insides bleeding out. It felt like she had stabbed him between the ribs, and then yanked the blade out, only to stab him once more. His eyes were as wide as saucers, and his vision was blurring. He lost conscious thought of how to move his body, and his hand wrapped around the camera that had made this night so complex.
But, suddenly, the prized posession, that had nearly got his best friend killed, hit the mud with a splat, soaking his pant leg with wet dirt. He took a step forward, and a tear rolled down his cheek. Logan ignored the advice he had given himself earlier, and let it slid down his face. He wanted to hug her, promise he it would all be okay, squeeze her until she yelled that he was choking her.
Another step and he was close enough to grab ahold of her hand, and before she could whip it away, he whispered, practically inaudibly, "The course of true love never did run smooth" He looked away, and, when his gaze returned to Olivia again. "I'm so amazingly oblivious. You should have slapped me, ya know that. Made me see." He chuckled, and a grin spread it's way across his face, his stomach jumping like a sparrow had forced it's way down his throat. "Of course, I love you. Somewhere between our laughs, long talks, and stupid fights, I do believe I fell in love." His face was wet, and he wiped it with his sleeve. "Thank god for lousy photographs, eh?"
In the most gushy of circumstances, he still did his best to lighten the mood. Why didn't anyone ever hit him? It made sense to him.

[/size]

[Olivia Zariah Ryall]

Her jaw dropped, tear ducts still spewing out salty sweet tears. Ignoring her mind's defense Olivia shuffled forward mud plastered against her legs. She grabbed his shirt pulling herself onto his lap bawling her feelings out onto his collar.
Revulsion.
Anguish.
Misery.
Happiness.
A mixture that came with love.
"I should have slapped you. Maybe we wouldn't be on the ground in the middle of the Forbidden Forest." Always lightening the mood, trying to turn despair into a chuckle of happiness. Sadly enough it worked. A bubble of laughter fell from her open jaw circling around the two huddled on the ground. "I do, love you Logan." Olivia closed her eyes hugging Logan to her chest chasing away any doubt that lingered in her heart. It felt perfect being in Logan's arms. It's what she wanted.
Was it what she needed wasn't remotely a question, because it didn't matter. If it ended badly then Olivia knew it would be her fault. She's the one that pushed it and that would always be on her. Good or bad. Maybe Nikita, who was forgotten behind them, actually did something good. In bad intentions a spark of life, hope, and love grew from the deepest pit of hatred.
"I still hope she rots there." She smiled, eyes diminished of tears, although the sparkle of salty water still dabbed around her gray-blue eyes. Followed by her smile was a grin pulling Logan back into a hug. She was his. He was hers.
It was about damn time.

[Logan Kings]

Logan smiled, softly as Olivia buried her face in his collar. He stoked her hair as she cried. Why are you crying, Livi. This is a happy moment. Though, with the drama that occured beforehand, it kinda feels like a soap opera. Ah well, eh? He smiled as his friend--did that word really fit anymore? They were more as of this moment. Or were they. The problem of Maxxie was still there-- let out a peal of laughter, and declared her love once more. "Love you too, kiddo" He knew the nickname bothered her, but old habits die hard, and he had been calling her Kiddo since his third year, when they had first met. "I know, I know. I'll work on it. I need a new nickname, eh?"
He wrapped his arms around her, ignoring his rapidly soaking butt. Sitting in mud never helped. Logan cast his glance to Nikita, who seemed done with her upchucking, and was half passed out. "Now, now. You have to admit, something good did come out of this. Come, on, maybe we should get out of the mud, at the very least. These are--were my only clean cargos. Now I have to do another whole load of laundry. Guess that's my own fault for wearing them in here. Nothing uneventful ever happens in here"
It felt strange, them out in the open like this. Well, about each other. He could imagine his friend's looks and comments when he told them. No Way (Sarcastically), and It took you guys long enough seemed to be the only thigns he could think of.
Logan picked himself up, naturally taking Olivia with him, her feet dangling from the ground. He gave her a breathless smile.

[/size]

[Olivia Zariah Ryall]

She felt herself being whisked off the muddy forest floor, her body still enwrapped with Logan’s leaving her feet hovering above the ground. "Still dangling girls in front of you aren't you?" Laughing she inspected his facial features noticing the slight wrinkle in his eyes that she hadn't seen before. Maybe it was realization, or grief. All Olivia could tell was he was happy, and she was too. That's all the gratification she needed. Holding her in midair Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck pulling herself even to his face. She held back her immense anticipation and did what she wanted to do for the longest time.
Olivia leaned forward placing her lips onto his a passionate kiss arising the pink in her cheeks. The feeling spread through her body a wildfire in the making, tickling the tips of her toes. As quick as it began it ended. She pulled back motioning for him to put her down, heels spattering mud against the back of her calves. Leaning against Logan she smiled. At last something went the way she planned it too. Hopefully it wasn't going to be the last.

[Logan Kings]

"You know it, shortie!" He chuckled in response, practically spinning in giddy delight. For a day that had started out so odd, it defintely ended well. Hehadn't been expecting what had happened next, but he was surely glad it had. He kissed her in response, a feeling like that of an electric shock running up and down his body from the crown of his head to the balls of his feet, a not so unpleasant feeling. Kinda like when performing a semi-dangerous spell. Except for that this was a different kind of magic.
Pulling back, he allowed Olivia to drop to her feet, and grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "That...was different. Huh. Kay. Maybe we should be heading back. I'mma betting that the second they realize she's MIA, them there Death Eaters are gonna come looking. To the castle?"
He bowed, gentlemanly, and gestured for the lady to start her way up. Logan winked.

[/size]