Chapter 4: Girls will be Girls
The Great Hall was, as always, loud with enthusiastic chatter and constant movement. The Great Hall was consistently flowing with magic, whether from floating lanterns above them or the fantastic food just appearing on the table in front of you. It was a type of conjuring magic that would create whatever food you were thinking of. Not to mention the pile of dirty plates just disappearing into thin air once you were done with them.
Athena made her way into the Hall and started to scan the room for her friends. She rolled her eyes as she found Tucker and Isaac in the middle of the Dragonheart table, surrounded by a crowd of adoring bimbos. They were hanging on every word that came out of their mouths as they told a story that required an enormous amount of hand gestures. Tucker was laughing at his jokes, while Jason, as usual, was sitting to the left of Isaac, occasionally adding to the story here and there, perfectly content to watch the story unfold for the rest of the time. And Beckett… was staring right at Athena. She suddenly became conscious of her every movement with his gaze following her, his eyes full of amusement at her discomfort.
The 'Troublemakers,' Athena, and her friends were all in the same house, the Dragonheart's. The Dragonheart was described by many as charismatic, intelligent, athletic, and the most prideful place. This house contains most of the smartest witches and wizards in their class. Athena found her friends at the end of the table, in the middle of a debate about whether or not it was worth getting up early to watch Dragonheart football practice on Friday morning. Jessika argued that it was a perfect boyfriend scouting opportunity for Jezebel, who refused adamantly with an insistent line about needing her beauty sleep. Jessika was always trying to set Jezebel up even though she was perfectly content on her own most of the time.
Jezebel Argent is Athena's best friend; they share everything. She has long raven hair that looked a little blue in certain lights and equally stunning green eyes like Athena. She had transferred from North Ridge Academy in her second year, immediately becoming close friends with Athena, and was soon friends with Athena's friend. Jezebel and Jessika still didn't quite click, though. Jessika Jennings is one of Athena's oldest childhood friends. Her platinum blonde hair is always shiny and sleek; her eyes are as blue as the morning sky with a silver ring, making them shine bright all the time. They meet on the first day of school at the academy two years ago and have been friends ever since. She can be a little aggressive sometimes, but Athena just lets it slide, calling it her being passionate. Athena finally reached her friends and sat down to the right of Jezebel, cutting off Beckett's persistent stare.
"What do you think, Thena?" Jessika's voice broke her concentration. She was lost in thought about how strange Beckett was being. Athena completely ignored Jessika's question. With a look of confusion on Athena's face, Jessika sighed very dramatically at Athena's confused reaction.
"Football practice. Do you wanna go with Jezebel and me on Friday morning?"
"I am NOT going," Jezebel interrupted. " I would prefer to shove needles in my eyes than get up that early to watch a bunch of testosterone-packed meat'eads runs around 'itting each other." Jezebel's French accent became stronger when annoyed, making her malevolent expression completely useless because everyone found her irritated babble quite adorable.
"Besides," interjected Athena teasingly. "You just want to see Beckett Kramer get all hot and sweaty." Athena winked at her friend, who bit her lip as a furious blush colored her cheeks.
"Why, I have no idea, considering that he is an arrogant prick with no respect for women." Or their personal space Athena thought to herself.
"Who is?" Carson Yushito plopped down on the left side of Jezebel, taking in Jessika's blush from across the table, Jezebel's barely-hidden smirk, and Athena's scowl. Carson Yushito was the newest member of the group she came during the third year from Japan. She has dark brown hair with amber highlights and hypnotizing dark brown almost black eyes. She is the most athletic out of all the girls and wasn't afraid to show it. This was one of the reasons she was placed into Dragonheart.
"Ah. Nevermind." Carson said awkwardly. Jezebel let a giggle escape as Jessika frowned at Carson in annoyance. "It is not funny." Jessika snapped at Jezebel, who was turning pink in her effort to contain her laughter.
"Not. Funny. At all!" Jezebel choked out, fanning her face with her hand as if to dry the tears before they fell from her eyes. Tears of laughter formed in her eyes as Jessika stabbed her steak viciously.
"Jezy… " Athena chided quietly. Jezebel sobered up, seeing Jessika's bottom lip fall into a pout and her little hands drop to form fists in her lap. "Oh. Sorry, Jessika." Jezebel said gently. "Eet's just … Beckett, you know?"
"Yeah. I know," Jessika responded dejectedly, staring at her hands. "He likes Athena, anyways." Jessika shrugged. "I wouldn't have a chance even if he did notice me."
"That is not true," Athena responded sharply. "He has never liked me, and he does notice you, Jessika, but I don't know… maybe he's scared to talk to you?" Athena trailed off hopelessly, knowing that on some level, Jessika was right. Beckett never noticed her, always preferring to associate with girls who come to him, not the other way around.
"So… what? You think I should talk to him?" Jessika's eyes held a shadow of a doubt as she twisted a fork around her fingers. "Non-Jessika, you should defeenitly continue not talking to 'im," Jezebel said sarcastically. "Because zat ees working so eencredibly well."
"Jezebel's right," pipped up Carson. "You don't even know the guy. You just like the face."
"And his butt," added Athena with a giggle. "And his hair and his arms and his shoulders and those stupid glasses and his 'oh-so-delectable' voice." Athena fluttered her eyelashes mockingly with a dreamy sigh. Jezebel stayed quiet; her eyebrows raised pointedly at Carson. They think that Athena likes Beckett as much as he is obsessed with her. However, Jessika didn't notice this exchanged look, frowning at Athena as she pretended to swoon into Jezebel's arms.
"Whatever, Athena," Jessika said coldly. "I'm heading back. Anyone coming with?" She got up, brushing stray crumbs off her lap. "Sure." Carson hurriedly stood with her, stopping only for a few seconds to whisper, "Discuss later?" in Jezebel's ear. Jezebel nodded with a knowing smile, and Carson gave her a covert wink as she left, her arm linked with Jessika's.
"Maybe we were a touch 'arsh?" Jezebel suggested worriedly, staring after a now smiling Jessika. Athena shrugged. "Aren't we always? She needs to see that he's not as wonderful as she thinks."
"I don't know … eet's Jessika's first real crush. Perhaps we should just… leave 'er?" Jezebel turned back to Athena, her dark eyes unsure and guilty.
"Leave her to get her heart broken by a misogynistic asshole who treats girls like objects? No." Athena shrugged unapologetically. "She's my friend. And I'll be damned if I'm going to let him hurt her."
"I suppose," Jezebel replied, eyeing the chocolate cake that had just appeared on the table in front of them. "C'est horrible … making fun of 'er."
"I know. I don't like it either," Athena admitted. "But I just … she's in too deep. Jez. If he paid her attention now and then broke her heart, it would hurt her too much. She likes him too much. That's why we need this to go away slowly." Jezebel sighed, placing a massive slice of cake on their plates.
"Yes. Anyways, why were you late?" Jezebel asked with a mouth full of chocolate cake, a smear of frosting on her chin. Athena wiped it away with a napkin automatically, her ever-constant maternal and protective nature shining through her layer of indifference. She treated them all like little sisters. Jessika found it quite irritating, whereas Jezebel couldn't help but find it endearing. "I just got distracted with something in a book," Athena lied easily, tossing the napkin onto the table.
"Oh. Well, you messed quite a show. Someone exed Jackson Whittemore blue in the face, literally. And zey chased 'i'm out of ze room with some scary dragon made of some kind of mist or smoke." Jezebel giggled delightedly. "Nobody could figure out 'oo! I mean, the 'Troublemakers' were missing, so it couldn't 'have been zem. Someone suggested zat 'e deed eet to 'imself … you know to get zem in trouble … only they weren't 'ere. But it must've been someone talented, one of ze sixth or seventh years, I bet." She sighed contentedly. "It was beautiful."
Athena smiled placidly, placing her empty plate on the growing stack in the middle of the table. "Sounds entertaining. Shame no one could figure out who it was. I'd like to buy them flowers." She flashed a grin at Jezebel, standing up and stretching. "You would?!" Jezebel laughed. "Now come on, I need you to force me to do my Potions essay." She grabbed Athena's hand, leading her hair out of the Great Hall with her, oblivious to Beckett winking at Athena as she left.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone