the girlfriend experience ━━ james potter ¹

vii. losses and luck

the girlfriend experience, james potter
𝒔𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓, 𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟕

chapter seven, LOSSES AND LUCK

✧ ━━━ · ✦ · ━━━ ✧

     "WHY DOESN'T SHE LOVE ME?"

     James' bed creaked under his body, as he flopped onto the mattress in defeat, and as his voice looped around the room, like a depressing song from a romance movie. A romance movie, where the romance aspect, is failing.

     He had asked Lily Evans out again. Invited her to Hogsmeade this weekend. She said no (no surprise there) and to say James is disappointed, would be an understatement. The boy's crushed. He doesn't know what's wrong with him. Why wouldn't she want to go out with the James Potter? He's practically a Sex God. It's a complete mystery to James. What's wrong with him? No, actually, what on earth is that unappealing about him that causes Lily Evans to refuse a simple date with him on numerous occasions? Not only does the fact that he still hasn't gotten her to go out with him is bad enough to live with, but the fact that he doesn't know why hurts even more.

     "Maybe you need to approach it in a more subtle way?" Peter suggested, perching himself on the bed beside James'. The Seeker folded his hands behind his head, and sighed, staring into the abyss that is the roof of his four-poster bed.

     Sirius scoffed, "Subtle?" he repeated incredulously. "James Potter doesn't do "subtle"."

     Both statements are very true. James Potter probably could try a more toned-down, sophisticated way to ask the poor girl out (or accept that she doesn't like him and move on, but that would never happen) since every time he's done it up until now has been far too extravagant and therefore irritating. But then Black's statement is just as correct ─ James Potter doesn't know how to be calm and quiet. It's just not in his nature.

     James pondered for a moment, analysing every last detail of the fabric hung in a dome above his bed. After a few seconds of hard thinking, he propped himself up on his elbows, and stared straight ahead, where his third friend was peacefully reading on his bed. "Remus."

     Remus Lupin didn't look up from his book. "Oh God, here we go," he muttered just under his breath.

     James took no interest in whatever Remus had just uttered to himself, and stated simply: "You're smart."

Remus exhaled out, predicting that his friend's flattery was simply a manoeuvre to get Remus to do something. Remus flicked over a page in his book aggressively and forced a smile, "Thank you, James."

James sat up, and crossed his legs underneath his body, "Help me out here," he said.

Remus was yet to look up from his book. Maybe if he avoided eye contact for long enough, James would go away. "I don't want any part of this."