Youngblood: Retrieval {Year 5, Book 3}

= Chapter 5 =

Aspen sighed heavily as she slid the tight, beige gloves onto her hands, stretching her fingers to see if it still fit.

"Something wrong?" Lillian asked from the bedside.

"Yeah - actually. I saw Draco last night." Aspen shrugged.

"Wow... shocker. Because you've never ever seen him before." Lillian scoffed jokingly.

"Oh shut it! I was going to say that... he just wasn't himself. He seemed less aggressive, though he didn't stay long to talk."

Lillian raised an eyebrow. "Figures - word got out the Ember really roasted him when they broke up."

"They broke up?" Aspen asked, now sliding her feet into the dark brown boots and putting the sturdy knee pads over them.

"Yes. It was bound to happen though. Word is that Ember was just using him."

"As in a fake relationship?"

"Yeah. I still think it's sorta funny. Draco deserved it."

"I - I guess."

A knock was heard on the girls' dorm door as Aspen raced over to it. Lillian sighed, finding the hint in Aspen's voice that seemed uneasy about the Draco and Ember's fake relationship.

"Oh... hey Marcus." Aspen said, holding the door open for Lillian as she walked with the two quidditch players down to the common room. "What's up?"

"I - I uh just wanted to tell you who our new beater was... just so that it wasn't too much of a surprise." Marcus Flint, captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team, stammered.

"Oh, alright. Who was it then? Crabbe, Bulstrode, Hopburn?" Aspen figured it would be one of those - who got pretty high scores in their try-outs.

"Uhm... actually... it's... Aspen, don't kill me... it's Ember McClain."

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"Out of ALL the people who tried out... he picked EMBER!?" Aspen continued to rant on the way down to the stadium with Mya, Dove, and Eleara at her side.

"I mean - she was pretty good, even if she wasn't the nicest person." Eleara suggested, smiling weakly.

"But still - Crabbe would have even done better!" Aspen sighed, tracing her finger around the logo for her Nimbus 2001 broomstick. "Or even Millicent Bulstrode!"

"I know you're mad - but maybe McClain is what's best for your team. Perhaps you can just look from Marcus's point of view, he just wants to win." Mya patted Aspen on the shoulder.

"Mya's right, but still, maybe keep your eye on her... just to make sure she doesn't try anything." Dove laughed, remembering one game in particular when Ember purposely hit Aspen with a bludger.

"True that!" Aspen laughed, hearing the announcement for the teams to get prepared. "Whelp. I better go. See y'all from the sky."

Aspen jogged off to be with her team and plan to win.

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"And for today's game, we have SLYTHERIN verses RAVENCLAW!!!" Lillian said over the loud speaker as Aspen's heart rate increased.

She looked around at all her teammates - Marcus Flint, Miles Bletchley, Graham Monatague, Gregory Goyle, Ember McClain, herself, and Draco Malfoy.

"Ready?" Marcus chuckled to his whole team, who gave nervous nods.

Ember shuffled to be right next to Aspen to talk. She watched her move next to her, rolling her eyes as she did so.

"I promise not to hit you in the face again." Ember said innocently, winking.