Of Gobstones and Gossip

It was a windy Wednesday, and the sun, setting, stretched the shadows longer and longer. The majestic water fountain spraying nearby students with mist every now and then, earning the occasional shrieks of someone when their friend splashed water on the unassuming person. Students loitered around, chatting, gossiping, and playing, enjoying their free time.

Maisie sat by a stone statue, where, though the massive statue blocked most of the sun, the rays still reached the spot she claimed, with a carefully carved wooden box--one that everybody growing up in the wizarding world knew to be: Gobstones.

She busied herself with a piece of chalk, drawing it carefully to form a small, meticulous circle. After redrawing twice, she opened the box and placed the set of small, gleaming, beautiful and innocent looking marbles within the circle. Had anyone who didn't know better try to play it, they might, and most positively would be squirted by a foul smelling liquid. But Maisie was sure she wasn't going to be squirted again. She had spent an entire summer, cooped up in her room, trying to find ways to not lose, and not get her face covered in that foul liquid.

After drawing the circle and placing the marbles, she looked up, anxiously awaiting her friend, Lily. They had agreed to meet up for a game in the courtyard a few days ago. And she was excited. Leaning back on her elbows, face tilting to take in the last of the sun, she watched a figure coming up in the distance, and a lazy, welcoming grin spread across her face.

"Hiya! Took you long enough. I already planned out an entire game in my mind. And guess what? I won." She said, with a teasing smile.

Edit: typo