Patrick Stump and the Flying Car Brigade

Chapter 50

Chapter 50

A few more days passed by, and the northern downpour continued. It got to the point where nobody would go outside because of the rain, so we were all trapped in the castle together. Needless to say, I was still heartbroken over Pete. His words were knifes and often left scars, and I was still bleeding over it. I hadn't gone back to the mirror since it didn't seem worth it now that I couldn't talk to Sirius, but nothing had eased the pain. No spell could mend my heart.

One day, as I was on my way to Charms class, I saw something that made me question everything that had happened that night. I was simply walking to class, but as I tried to navigate through the corridors, I spotted Pete. I tried to wave to him, but I stopped once I saw who else was there.

"Come on, Mikey," Pete whispered to his ghostly companion. "It's going to be okay."

"I know, but what about Patrick?" Mikey whispered back. "He's going to be furious. This isn't going to work at all."

"Patrick and I broke up last week," Pete said. "He doesn't care what we do, but this is worth a try. The only hope for me is you, Mikey."

"Alright Pete," Mikey said. "We can try." All of a sudden, Pete pressed his lips against Mikey's.

Mikey was right. I was absolutely furious, but I told myself that it was better to face these kinds of things with a sense of poise and rationality. Pete and Mikey continued to kiss rather passionately while I ran into the Charms classroom.

Even as Professor Flitwick began to teach, I couldn't focus. There were far too many thoughts buzzing through my head. It had only been a week since we broke up, and Pete had already found a new boyfriend. Had he fancied Mikey all along? Was he cheating on me when we broke up? Pete didn't seem like the type to cheat, but if he wasn't cheating on me with Mikey, then they wouldn't have gotten together so quickly.

I supposed that being blue was better than being over it, but that didn't make anything better. Professor Flitwick went on and on about Water Making Spells, but what I needed was a Cheering Charm. I was still desperately in love with Pete, even though it was becoming increasingly clear that he didn't love me back. As I thought about it, I realised that I wasn't sure if he loved Mikey either. If the worst was true, then Mikey didn't deserve him. I had to tell him my suspicions, no matter how angry I was with Pete.

"Patrick, are you okay?" Esteban quietly asked me.

"I'm not okay," I said. "I promise."

"What happened?" Esteban asked. I knew that his intentions were good, but I didn't appreciate all of his questions. Nevertheless, I kept answering them.

"I saw Pete kissing Mikey," I said, trying not to burst into tears in the middle of class. "We already broke up, but seeing that made me wonder if he cheated on me. Either way, it hurts to know that he moved on so quickly."

"Everything will get better eventually," Esteban said. He took out his wand and did a Cheering Charm on me. "That should make you feel better for now."

Unfortunately, Esteban overdid the spell. I started laughing hysterically, and I couldn't stop. I tried to do a General Counter Spell on myself, but I couldn't say the incantation without laughing.

"What is going on back there?" Professor Flitwick asked.

"I'm sorry, Professor!" Esteban exclaimed. "I tried to do a Cheering Charm on Patrick, and I overdid it!"

"Finite Incantatem," Professor Flitwick said as he waved his wand in my direction. All of a sudden, the uncontrollable laughter stopped and I was back to my normal disenchantment. "Five points from Hufflepuff for not paying attention in class. Now, who can tell me the incantation for a Water Making Spell?"

I raised my hand, and Professor Flitwick called on me. "Aguamenti," I answered.

"Brilliant, Patrick," Professor Flitwick said. "Five points for Hufflepuff for answering that question correctly."

Professor Flitwick continued his lecture, and my thoughts drifted off once again. Even after all he had done, I still missed Pete. No matter what, if I had been given the opportunity to have him back again, I would have taken it. Over the two years of our relationship, he had been nothing but good to me. We had shared so many great memories, from getting into a snowball fight during fourth year to studying for exams together to going to Pizza Con. All of those memories were meaningless now, even though they were all I'd ever known. Pete was everything to me, but now he was gone.

Charms finally finished, and I went to lunch. I took some food, and while I was eating, I looked over at the Slytherin table. Pete was there with Mikey, eating pizza and talking with Mikey's friends. I felt yet another pang of jealousy, watching him do all of the things with Mikey that he used to do with me. I turned away and took a sip of pumpkin juice. As usual, it was delicious, but it reminded me of Pete too much, so I poured myself some water instead.

It seemed like everything reminded me of Pete, from Teddy's eyeliner to the pizza being served. I won't have this problem after I move to Chicago, I told myself. Nevertheless, I knew that I needed to talk to Mikey, if only to warn him about Pete. He didn't deserve to go through what I did. In the meantime, I only had to keep myself from coming apart at the seams.