The Calling

Chapter 4: Rose Thorns and Promises

" Oliver? I'm sorry."

Oliver turned away from his open locker to face Angelina. Her eyes were down, and he could find just the slightest trace of guilt in her voice. " For what?" he asked.

" About Levi." She sighed. " He's just....tempermental..."

" So I learned." Oliver turned back to his locker, grabbed his scarlet Quidditch robes, slipped them on over his sweater.

Angelina reached up to put a hand on the Quidditch captain's shoulder, withdrew it for a second, then let it rest on the base of Oliver's neck. " Don't get any harsh feelings for him. He doesn't know what he's doing sometimes."

Oliver flinched at Angelina's contact, hesitated before closing his locker door. Both of them expected an outburst. There was none. He couldn't find the strength in him to throw his rage at Angelina's feet. Slowly, he drew away from her.

Her eyes watched him retreat a few steps, then stop.

" I'm sorry," he told her, voice muffled because his back was still to her.

" Just do me a favor and don't hate Levi," Angelina asked, almost pleaded.

" Do you?" The question was plain and simple.

It shocked Angelina. " What?"

Oliver turned around. " Do you hate Levi?"

" N-no...." Angelina let her voice trail off, and she had to look away from Oliver.

Oliver watched her lower her head, almost as if she didn't mean her words. Shaking his head vigorously, he took his broom and walked out onto the pitch.

" Angel....."

Angelina was almost glad to hear Levi's voice.

Levi nervously tapped her shoulder. " Look....I-I'm sorry I'm late....but I had something to do....."

" I don't care that you're late," Angelina told him, turning around to face him.

Levi's cheeks were slightly red, he had a hard time keeping eye-contact. A smile, so unlike him, kept crawling onto his face. " I....I had to get something for you..." Slowly, he removed something from behind his back. A bushel of roses, freshly picked.

Angelina took them with both hands, inhaling their scent deeply. " Levi...."

" You like them?" the seventh year asked, almost hopefully.

Angelina closed her eyes and inhaled the roses again. " Yes. I do."

Those two words he wanted to hear from her mouth. Those two words he wanted to hear from her forever.

" I just....wanted you to know that I love you," he said, scratching the back of his neck, even though it lacked an itch.

" Thank you."

Levi glanced around, then moved in close to his girlfriend, taking her lips in a kiss. This wasn't as rough as most of his others had been. She found it almost enjoyable.

" Johnson!" Oliver's voice barked from behind her.

Angelina broke the kiss off abruptly, the color red creeping slowly up her neck and onto her face.

" Practice started five minutes ago!" He knew, she knew, it was only an excuse to get her away from Levi.

Angelina whispered an apology to Levi, turned to face her team captain. " Yes, sir." She walked past him slowly, roses still in her hand.

" She's staying five minutes after," Oliver told Levi as his Chaser left.

Levi nodded briskly. " Don't try anything, pretty boy," he hissed.

" What in God's name am I gonna try?" Oliver asked, only a little offended.

" You know what I mean. Don't you fucking touch her." Levi raised a clenched fist. " Unless you want to find yourself in the hospital wing again." He shrugged.
" It's your call."

" I'm not making any call." Oliver glared at the older boy. " You're not a player. Out of the locker rooms."

Levi snarled at him. " I'll be watching you, Wood."

" I'll be watching my back," Oliver answered. He continued to glare at Levi as the seventh year exited the locker room and headed to the stands. Almost growling himself, he turned back out onto the pitch, whispering to Angelina as he passed, " Roses have thorns, you know."

" Shut up," she hissed at his retreating back. She glanced down at the rose, ran her fingers over the freshly cut stems, over the thorns that threatened her every finger.
The words he spoke were true. She didn't want to believe them.

Her bed was rock hard this night. Maybe because she was stiff. For that she could blame Oliver. Or maybe it was because she hurt. For that she could blame no one. She couldn't find anyone to blame but herself. Inside, she knew her pain was caused by Oliver and Levi, but she couldn't find it in her to admit to it.

The flowers were laying on her trunk. They were a sweet gift, all the girls in her dorm were thriving with envy when she brought them in, but they lay on her drunk dying. Angelina was not a cruel person, but these flowers were from Levi, and through they were sweet, she deprived them of water. She tried to convince herself that she would've let the roses die anyway, no matter who gave them to her. Many of the guys she had dated bought her one gift or another. They were all trying to buy love, something that couldn't be bought. But then, would she had left them to die had Oliver given them to her?

She groaned angrily and rolled over. A sudden warmth overtook her and she threw her quilt to the side. It was never warm this time of night.

" Angel?"

Angelina drew in a sudden breath, held it, then turned around with a smile upon her face. " Hey."

Levi's eyes bore into her own and he reached down to take her in a strong kiss. " I dreamed about you."

Angelina could feel her heart twisting and turning in her chest. Through his kiss, she protested, " Don't. Please."

" Did I hurt you?" he asked with eyes full of worry but a voice that couldn't show it.

Yes! Yes you did! Her smile grew and she tried to force it to reach her eyes. " Of course not. I'm......I have a cold.....and I don't want to get you sick."

This false worry eased Levi's tension. " Good." He started to walk away, then stopped and asked, " Do you see that Wood kid anytime today?"

" Q-Quidditch practice," Angelina answered through a hard swallow.

" I'll be there." His voice was firm, his decision made.

" Levi, I don't want you and Oliver to hate each other," she tried.

Levi clenched his fists, then quickly unclenched them to stop any suspicions she might have. " We don't hate each other, Angel."

" He hates you." Her heart fell to her stomach.

Levi's eyes burned with a rage Angelina had seen only in her nightmares.

" He...he doesn't hate you, exactly," she tried to cover up.

It didn't work. " Promise me you'll stay away from him," Levi ordered in a low voice.

" He's one of my best friends!" Angelina cried. She could deprive roses from life but she couldn't deprive herself of it.

" Promise me." The fire in his eyes grew.

Angelina swallowed again and tried to draw her eyes away from him. " There's nothing going on between Oliver and me-"

" You keep saying that."

" And I don't lie."

Levi took in a breath. " Does he?"

" He's never lied to me."

This wasn't the answer Levi wanted, but it was the answer he had to be content with. " Will you just stay away from him? Please?"

Angelina took in a deep breath. She could lie, she could promise, she could destroy her entire freedom. " I.....I promise."

A sickening smile played itself on Levi's lips.

The Chaser looked away from the seventh year, looked directly at Oliver on the other side of the courtyard. His smile danced on his lips, his chocolate eyes shone. Next to him was Lee Jordan, followed closely by Fred and George struggling to pull a large trunk with them.

Her eyes remained on Oliver as one of the twins grabbed the back end of his robes and sent him to the ground. He wasn't furious when he raised himself on his elbows, but amused when they handed him a small blue can. Questionably, he tilted his head back to face the twins, most likely to ask what the can was. Both the twins smirked and Oliver sat up, began to open it. Out flew a brownish dust, similar to saw dust. Lee covered his mouth, but Oliver wasn't quick enough and he began to gag. His hand threw to his throat as he started to choke, and Angelina's chest tightened when she saw him sway on his feet.

Fred and George were laughing when they pulled out their wands and flicked them almost expertly. The dust flew back into its blue can and the lid sealed. Chests heaving with laughter, they tossed the small can back and forth between themselves while Oliver placed his hands on his knees to catch his breath. George tossed the can back into the truck and slammed the lid shut. It was while he had his back turned that Oliver attacked him, forced him to the ground. Fred joined the pile of flailing arms and legs, but the two of them were no match for the Quidditch captain. Within minutes he had them both pinned and he tried to make a decent threat to them while laughing at their joke.

How could she stay away from him?

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Chapter Three :: Contents :: Chapter Five ::