Starry skies and Gardenias

Chapter 39

Isabella found herself in the common room, surrounded by everyone else. The verbal replay of the match was going on in different places.

Peter had just returned with more food from the kitchens and the sound of firecrackers exploding in the room threatened to damage her eardrums.

Isabella tried going up to her dormitory many times, but she was stopped by either Marlene or James or Sirius. 

The noise was so loud, that it made her head hurt. She kept quiet for most of the time, hoping she would be left alone. But all that happened was that she was being dragged over to all different places, and she had no clue what was going on. 

"Enjoying the party?" James grinned at her.

"Not at all," Isabella answered honestly, but her small voice was drowned out by someone's scream, which was followed by laughter as a first-year floated across the room in a bubble. Or at least she thought that's what it was. 

And then what she had dreaded happened. 

When Marlene offered her a custard cream which Isabella had refused for the sixth time already, she snapped. 

"I do not want it," Isabella said sharply. "I am not that incapable that I cannot get my own food. Or is it that you are incapable of understanding a simple no?"

Marlene stared at her, taken aback. Sirius who was stuffing his face due to a bet with Peter on how many cauldron cakes he could fit in his mouth, paused too. Ben and Arthur who were drinking butterbeer spat it out in shock. Frank was the only one trying to calm the situation. 

But Isabella cut him off. 

"And there is something called my personal space," Isabella continued, glaring around at her team as she pushed James' arm off her shoulder and moved away.

"I would appreciate it if you at least tried to respect it. No, I do not have any interest in any of your jokes or your parties or anything, so please don't try to include me," she said coldly.

"If you are worried that I might feel left out or shunned, rest assured," she said. "It is none of my business and I honestly, couldn't care less. Now, if you don't mind, I'll be going to bed. Thank you,"

And she turned heel and stormed up the spiral staircase to her dormitory, closing the door behind her with a snap. 

Isabella fell onto her bed feeling extremely guilty. 

She really didn't want to yell at them like that. But she really couldn't stand there for one more second. She couldn't endure them forcing her to have something because she looks weak, or because she had to grow or whatever excuse they were giving her. She couldn't stand one more second of someone throwing their arm around her shoulder and grabbing her arm and talking loudly about the game. 

Yes, she was aware that they were only being friendly and that they had only good intentions, but she was no comfortable with it in the least. 

Isabella groaned and buried her face in her hands. Did she overreact? 

Yeah, she most probably did. 

Should she go apologize? 

Not right now, she could still hear the party booming downstairs. She wanted to get out of there, but there was no way out.

Or was there?

Isabella's eyes had fallen on the window of the dormitory and then it had fallen on the broom lying by her bed. 

Well, she was flying out then.

Isabella got up, hurried over to the window and threw it wide open. She mounted her broom, and in a very awkward ten seconds, she managed to somehow sit on the windowsill, her broom still between her legs.