Accidentally Dating Cedric

38

She takes her seat next to Malfoy, his hand laced with hers protectively like mine used to be.

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My heart wrenches at that sentence out of habit.

Stop it. He's not yours to worry about anymore. I think to myself angrily.

I take a deep breath, and make eye contact with Hermione's worry filled ones.

"I'm sure he just feels guilty," I try to say nonchalantly, but my voice wavers on the last word.

They all look to each other skeptically, but say nothing as we enter the dining hall.

I head to the Slytherin table with Blaise, Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, Eleanor, and Kira at my side.

"Eat something," Blaise urges as he hands me a biscuit, to which I offer a gracious smile, but just set it down on my plate.

The thought of eating anything right now makes me nauseous, and the gaze I feel from him at the Hufflepuff table just makes me feel even more sick.

It takes all of the self restraint I have, but I completely avoid looking at the Hufflepuff table for all of breakfast.

Cedric's POV

"In all honesty man, she was kind of a bitch. It's probably for the best," Mason shrugs as we head down the corridor towards the Great Hall for breakfast.

Fury instantly swells up in my body, clouding my sense of judgement, and before I can even process it, I have Mason pinned against the wall by his collar.

"Don't you ever fucking talk about her like that," I say, venom lacing every word, causing fear to instantly overcome his face.

"Alright, fine, chill!" He scoffs as I place him back on his feet.

"I just thought you'd be over her by now as you hadn't seen her for like a week," he continues apprehensively.

The fact that I hadn't even seen her face for a whole week was driving me insane. Several times I tried to go to her common room, but there were always people stopping me from doing so.

Ever since that night, I haven't been able to focus on anything else. My only emotions since that night have been anger and sadness.

I haven't been focusing in class or socializing, let alone eating or sleeping. All I can think about is her, and all I can do is worry about her.

I ask Harry and Hermione about her everyday in DADA, but they've been giving me the cold shoulder, obviously for good reason.

The most I've gotten from them is that she hasn't been doing well, which just causes me to worry even more, to the point where I'm practically shaking all the time out of angst.

Just the littlest things will cause me to lash out or snap, and I can't even bring myself to apologize afterwards for taking my emotions out on my friends.

How could those words I said be true, if I'm feeling this way after being away from her?

I trudge over to the Hufflepuff table with Mason and Jack who're giving each other the same usual nervous glances they always do, thinking I don't notice.

Everyone fills their plates and I just grab a cup of coffee, as it's the only thing I've been able to bring myself to consume this past week.

I start to zone out like usual, when Jack taps my shoulder.