unhinged ↠ 𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞

Argue

_____________

Kitioma Hadlee

"Come on Kiki, just eat the damn biscuit," Gabriella snaps, her voice cutting through the morning murmur of the Great Hall.

I glance up, distracted. "Hmm?"

"You've been poking around your plate for nearly the entire hour we've been in here, and because of you, we're going to be late for the match," Gabby pointedly fixes her eyes on my relatively uneaten plate. "Can you just, take it with you or something?"

I shake my head, pushing the plate away. "You could've just said so. Come on, let's go," I stand up, a distracted Marlene and exasperated Gabriella following suit.

"Seriously? Nothing?"

Gabriella looks at me expectantly as I frown, dropping my hands to my sides. "What?" When she doesn't answer, I laugh nervously, leaning on the table with a small grin, trying to diffuse the hidden tension. "Is there a problem Gabby?"

"No," She finally snaps, huffing and grabbing Marlene's arm. "Just come on."

I shake my head and snort incredulously. Something's been up with Gabby for the past few days, but I've brushed it off as relationship problems or homework stress. Everything's been pissing her off-- my eating habits are none of her concern anyway. I appreciate her nonetheless, but there is a point where it becomes less of a concerned friend and more of an overbearing mother.

Absentmindedly, I trace my neck, the sore spot still throbbing painfully. I'm still not entirely sure what happened the last day or so. Marlene insists I ran into another student's elbow on the way to class yesterday, but I can't even remember yesterday. It's as if my brain has blocked out anything worth remembering.

I do remember a conversation with Samuel, though. He left me under the staircase and then...blank. Like someone wiped a slate clean. No matter, though. No teachers remarked on any sort of abnormalities, and Gabriella looked as if I were crazy when I brought it up, so I've decided to brush it off as some sort of weird brain fuck-up. Perhaps my recent vivid dreams have been getting to me, confusing my reality with abnormality, paired with my own homework stress and generalized anxiety.

I fall in step with Marlene and Gabby as we're engulfed with the rest of the school, all heading towards a quidditch match. It's the Gryffindor-Slytherin match, so everyone wants a chance to see it, the rivalry running deep through the history of the school. I find it stupid, but it's still quite amusing to watch Gabby get more and more worked up about a game she only knows half the rules to. It's fun; it helps people forget their studies for a few hours.

"...right, Kitioma?" Gabby's voice floats from somewhere far off and beside me all at once. I blink and turn to her.

"Right," I agree, not knowing what I've agreed to or what was even said in the first place. Better to agree and move on ignorantly than to get into an argument with Gabby.

Gabriella turns to Marlene with a smug smile, Marlene rolling her eyes in return. "See? I'm correct, even Kiki agrees."

I breathe out a breath in silent relief. I hate confrontation with people I'm close to, and another argument with Gabby would've just heightened even more tension on top of whatever I've built up from these strange past couple of days. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a healthy debate from time to time, but arguments that make my stomach drop and wish for the power to shove my words back into my mouth are not very fun to tolerate.

The three of us grab our seats, and I absentmindedly tune out their constant stream of chatter once again, picking at my nails, idly gazing out onto the field. The crowd around us roars with the view of a Gryffindor goal, a Slytherin keeper tumbling out to the muddy field. A fleeting grin passes my lips at the sight, and then I go back to picking at my nails.