Shooting Star

Chapter Five

Six Months Ago

I went into the common room in the middle of the night, since I was unable to sleep.
When I got down there, James and Sirius were there. Sirius was totally plastered. He was screaming at James, a bottle in his hand.
"I know." James said. He was pretty chill for someone being yelled at. "It's not fair."
"Don't bullshit me." Sirius yelled. Tears poured down his face. Seeing him like that hurt.
"I'm not, Padfoot. It isn't fair. Just calm down, okay?"
Sirius finished what was left in the bottle and threw it at the wall, yelling in frustration. How was he even standing?
"Hey, quiet down." James said calmly, holding out his hands as he came towards him. He looked exhausted. "Come on, Padfoot. Let's get you in bed."
"Shut up!" Sirius yelled.
I touched his arm. He turned around, ready to push me away. He stopped when he saw me, though. Even this pissed he wouldn't hit a girl. He dropped his arms and stared at me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and looked at James over his shoulder. James stood tensely, ready to fight, because he's chivalrous like that. I nodded that I was okay, and he left the room.
Sirius wrapped his arms around my waist, dropping his head onto my shoulder, crying silently. The poor thing just wanted a hug.
"Let's sit down and you can tell me what's wrong." I said gently, letting him go.
Apparently his little brother was a Death Eater. I could see why he would lose his shit over that.
"Come on, let's get you in bed." I said after we'd sat in silence for a while.
He let me lead him upstairs. When he got in bed, though, he begged me not to leave, so I laid down beside him. Once he fell asleep, I went back to my dormitory. The boys would give us hell about it if they woke up to that sight.

Lily was dating some guy because she loved James, even though she wouldn't admit it. She begged me to go on a double-date with them, saying she'd get someone for me to go with. I finally agreed.
"What's wrong with you?" I asked Sirius as we were leaving. He and James were sulking by the fire.
"Nothing." He said.
"Fine. Bye." I said, and started to leave.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do." He winked.
"There's nothing you wouldn't do." Remus said.
"Very true." He agreed. "Only do things I wouldn't do."
I had never been more angry at Lily than I was that night. Her date was annoying, but not near as annoying as mine. He was attractive, yes, but self-centered and with an irritating voice.
"Never again." I hissed in Lily's ear as the four of us were walking back to the common room.
"I hate you." I told Lily.
"You love me." She smiled as she went up to the dormitory.
I went to sit with James, Sirius, Remus and Peter, since I wasn't tired yet. Sirius had a bottle in his hand. "What are you drinking?" I asked.
"Firewhiskey." He stared at the fire.
"Give me some." I took it from him and drank some.
I remembered why I don't drink that stuff. Ew.
The four of them raised their eyebrows at me, shocked. "Hot damn." Sirius said.
"Pete, what happened?" I reached out and touched a cut on his cheek.
"I fell." He looked down.
"On what?" I furrowed my eyebrows.
"Something sharp."
I smiled. "Well, okay."
"Geez. Lay off him, Mother Bear." Sirius said.
"Get off my back, Black."
"Where's Lily?" James asked.
"She went to bed."
"Did she have a nice time?" He sounded kind of bitter.
"I don't think so."
"You don't have to lie to protect my delicate emotions." He smiled.
"I'm not. We both suffered."
"Did the lucky guy get in your pants?" Black asked.
"You wish."
"No."
"No?" I asked, and everyone gave him a weird look.
"I don't want anybody in your pants but me."
I laughed, thinking he was joking. "Yeah, I bet."
Nobody else laughed.
I looked at Remus, eyebrows raised. He nodded.
"Oh." I said, eyes wide.
"Laugh it up." He grumbled, finishing off the firewhiskey, getting up and walking away.
"Black." I called.
"Go." James said.
"What?"
"Go after him. We know you want to."
I shot him a death glare as I did exactly what he said. "Sirius, I'm sorry. I thought you were messing around."
"Yeah, well." He mumbled, standing in the doorway to the boys' dormitories.
"You're drunk, Sirius. You don't mean it."
"No I'm not. James drank most of it."
"Oh. Sorry. I can't tell."
"I've fancied you for years." He said.
"You have?" I found that hard to believe, considering he'd never tried to ask me out or anything, and he dated everybody--literally everybody--else.
"But I'm a coward, so I didn't ask you out." He turned in my direction, but didn't look at me.
"You aren't a coward."
"Obviously I am."
"If you were, you wouldn't put up with all you do."
"Yeah, well. You fuck me up more than that shit does." He turned and walked up the stairs.
"Where are you going?" I demanded.
"Away from you."
I followed him. "Why?"
"Because I can't afford to love you. Stop following me."
"And why's that?" I continued.
"I said that I was getting away from you." He slammed his hand against the wall beside my head, breathing hard.
"Why?" I demanded, pressing as far into the wall as I could, heart racing.
"Because I don't know if I could recover from the pain you could inflict upon me." He dropped his eyes, pushing off the wall and backing away. "I'm sorry."
"I can't believe I'm about to do this." I sighed.
He cringed, like I was going to hit him. I kissed him, and he jerked his head back so hard he hit it against the wall. He stared at me with wide eyes. "What the hell, Taylor?" He breathed.
"What?" I asked.
"And here I was thinking you've never kissed a boy."