An Unexpected Rivalry PV E. Hill

Finally, Emma was out of school and away from all the drama though she did find it humorous. Even though she was mostly compliant to stay at Hogwarts for a few weeks, she couldn't help but feel a little homesick, especially knowing a portion of her family that attended the school didn't want to linger for the summer. Now that she was home, she had to get out of England. 

While her parents waited for their number to be called, she wasted the time playing catch with some of the older kids, but one look confirmed that she wasn't the youngest amongst the group. Now that she was thirteen, she didn't have to lie anymore and bump up her age a few years just to play a game of catch with a football. Although most of the kids were around seven or eleven, a small group of teens and tweens could usually be seen near the basketball hoops. And she just had to catch the ball.

Another throw came heading her way in the circle the group of six had devised. Being way too high for her to possibly catch, the ball made its way into the street and a car wasn't too far away. One of the girls, around the same age as her, motioned to the ball, indicating to seize it before it was too late. The ball wasn't hers, but that didn't mean she didn't care about it; she just couldn't see herself sacrificing her life for a ball she could just repair with her wand. Secretly, of course.

"Fine." The brunette said flatly and she turned on her heels to run and grab the ball before it was too late. Obviously, her speed was no match for the car, especially when adding the time to bend down and grab the ball. Nevertheless, she chased after the ball in the street, the car at least a few hundred feet in front of her. The small distance meant nothing, however. A matter of seconds had passed before she found herself hurling out the way with her eyes shut tight on to the nearest sidewalk without any consideration to the street curve or the cyclist. Perhaps texting and driving was the main reason wizards didn't use technology. Just imagine a wizard flying on a broom with a phone.

Colliding into the pavement, rocks kicked up on her arms and her hands stung from the impact, but it could have been a lot worse. Her foot struck something she couldn't decipher. It wasn't a hard object like the concrete or a metal pole used to hold up signs. It was definitely solid, however. Standing up, she brushed the small pebbles on her hands off and looked up. Out of all the people, it just had to be a wizard. While her first instinct wasn't to apologize, though her cheeks had turned a slight pink. It could have been easily due to the sun, or embarrassment. "Carson?"

“Carson?” Emma said, incredulously, as a blush spread across her cheeks. He felt somewhat proud of the fact that she knew his name in the first place, but he couldn’t stop to think about that as he quickly put down the kickstand on his bike and swung a leg over, rushing to Emma’s side and helping her up. He couldn’t help but feel guilty for crashing into her, he felt like it was his fault. “Bloddy hell! I’m so sorry Emma, really.” he exclaimed, apologizing quickly, his words jumbling together as they fell out of his mouth, tripping over one another. He helped her to her feet, blushing as she stood, and he chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his neck, looking down to his sneakers. He couldn’t believe he’d just crashed into someone, let alone a pretty Ravenclaw a year above him. He looked into the street, the ball Emma had been chasing was bouncing down the busy road. “I’ll make it up to you,” he said as an idea popped into his head. He grinned at her, the looked back and forth, checking to see if any cars were coming. There were a few, but he could make it. He ran across the road, scooping up the ball, and jogged back to Emma, a bright smile on his face. “There.” he said, holding the ball out to Emma, “Now we’re even.” he joked, laughing as he ran a hand through his dark brown hair.

Apologizing didn't exactly help her condition. Now, her inflamed cheeks were definitely because of embarrassment, but she could feel something else as well and she did not want to. It obviously wasn't his fault, but she didn't want to commence a game of 'It's My Fault' and list out all the reasons she crashed into him in the first place. It was completely her fault. She wasn't going to dishearten herself with all the pride she had convinced herself to have. Shaking her head vigorously to say it wasn't his fault, she began to fidget with her hands, trying to find a place to put them. They strung and felt worse than the impact in general.

Finally, deciding to clap her palms together, she planted them in front of her, but that didn't feel exactly right either. Almost a bit too girly for her liking. She rose an eyebrow at his words; She hated that she couldn't tell what his thoughts were, but as she watched him trotted into the streets, her eyes widened slightly with the temptation to yell 'watch out'. Thankfully, he had managed to evade the automobile and like a knight in shining armor, the ball was in his hands.

"Thanks," she beamed and she traveled back to the gathering of children, a sense of guilt and curiosity pulling her back to Carson. Before heading back, Emma tossed the ball back into the circle and turned on her heels to face him once again, shaking her hands to ease the twinges of discomfort that repeatedly turned off and on like static on an old-fashioned radio.

"Wait a minute, you call that even?" The brunette asked, crossing her arms and taking on a tone of sass as she stood stubbornly in front of the bike. Now that felt much better. Saving a ball compared to what his cabin did to hers absolutely crossed the line, but it did help him stay on his side a bit. Unable to sense the humor in his voice, she treated his words almost like a dare. Did she not have the advantage to even begin with?

“Wait a minute, you call that even?” Carson winced at the obvious sass in the Ravenclaw girl’s tone. “I... I thought you’d forgotten about that.” he said, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. Over the summer, his cabin, Dragons Den, has pranked her cabin, Summer Vibes— and the result was disastrous. They were only water balloons, really, but the shaving cream and confetti seemed to push Emma’s cabin over the edge. Of course, Carson’s cabin had gotten loads of shit for it from Emma’s, and Carson thought that they were more than even, seeing as Emma’s cabin had pranked his a few times after that, so he actually had good reason to be indignant. “But I actually think we’re more than even— your cabin pranked mine too! In fact, I think this gives me a little bit of an edge.” he said, furrowing his eyebrows as he climbed back onto his bike, swinging a leg over and kicking up the kickstand. Carson has honestly forgotten about the whole thing, but apparently the older Ravenclaw was able to hold a grudge. As she mentioned it, it all came rushing back to him— the Summer Camp, that is, and he smirked as he remembered one particular night when there was a game of truth or dare both Emma and Carson had been in. “Is this because of that truth or dare thing at Summer Camp?” he asked, attempting to make the girl blush. This could be why she was so, well, stingy, but Carson didn’t really get it.

Former memories from the summer camp began to flood resentfully back into her remembrance and they wouldn't leave no matter how hard she tried to occupy herself with something else. Nothing could surpass the visions, or nightmares in her case, she experienced throughout the summer. Even her most delightful of memories at home or at Hogwarts were no contest for them; she really needed to get out more often. No matter how hard she tried, it was an unchanging thought that couldn't be liquidated.

"No. No, I didn't actually." The fire in her cheeks began to return to her natural skin tone as a chill forced its way up her spine. Usually, it would have made her shiver, but thanks to the summer weather, she remained still. It was the same feeling that made her uncomfortable in the first place. 

Watching as Carson made his way back on to his bike, she inched herself closer to the tire of the wheel, the fabric of her jeans practically brushing against the rubber. It pained her to coincide with him, but he was right. She seemed to flip back and forth between her decision. While they might have been equivalent with pranking, this certainly gave him the advantage to outshine her and it would have been a lie to say she didn't enjoy even a little bit of it. "Fine, no more favors whatsoever. Not until I can mine in."

Emma fought back the smile that crept on to her face with bitterness as she pressed her lips into a thin line. Needless to say, the rosy tint had returned and was more vibrant than ever in the radiating sun. It was a good thing she couldn't see her reflection. God, stop blushing.. pleaseee. She thought to herself. Rolling her eyes and shaking her head, she took a deep breath. "You are unbelievable." She scoffed, her words unintentional as she avoided the question entirely. "You're really going to bring that up?"

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