Do I Look Scared? Finished

"Why should I care what you think?"

Wyatt’s smile disappeared in a moment's notice and was quickly replaced by his "famous" expressionless mask. Back to business. “I never said you should, Wolf- in fact I think I said I knew you wouldn’t. I don’t think you’ve taken my advice, though. Honestly- and please tell me if I’m wrong- but the way you asked… I might think you actually care.” Slowly, he clasped his hands behind his back and took a small step closer.

“I suggest you stop caring now, because if you take anything I say to heart, your self-esteem may drop too low to live with.” Every word was doused in a heavy dose of venom, Wyatt’s superpower being his ability to use tone to show people what he’s thinking and what he thinks about them. Or at least what he wants them to think he’s thinking and what he wants them to think he thinks about them. “I'm sure you could tell- I'm a mean person.”

Wyatt had a feeling he should turn and leave, that he should stop trying to pick a fight with a werewolf, but he just couldn’t help himself. This girl was good at arguing, and most of the kids at this school were bloody awful at being rude or saying mean things. This was so incredibly refreshing. Finding someone at your level was refreshing. He wondered if the girl opposite him felt the same way.

In a way, this girl had gained his respect. She stood her ground, and she could easily fight back in an argument. Witty with a bite, and pretty, too, but that didn’t matter much at that point. Wyatt had paused to think, as he tapped his foot, slower than he had been tapping it before. His face remained expressionless, and his eyes dark and cold. Like a void. He often wondered if people got sad looking into his jet black eyes.

_{@Miranda Everest}

"Yes, I'm quite sure I noticed that," Miranda replied snidely, an inexplicable half-smile on her face. She'd chosen not to answer his first few remarks. No point in giving him that satisfaction. "Could it be, oh, I don't know, from the way you keep trying to insult me?"

She made sure to put on emphasize on "trying" just to send the message that she wasn't taking it to heart. Whether he believed her or not, though, that was another matter. Some of his words had cut her (figuratively, of course), but not too badly. After all, she was used to being taunted by the village kids for her odd family and living habits. If Miranda could survive eleven years of that, she could survive a single boy that she'd most likely forget by tomorrow anyway (well, maybe not, but that's what she wanted to believe).

"I see now why Slytherin's have such a bad reputation. It's people like you that ruin it for the rest of them," she said, her voice even, although with an undercurrent of fierce anger. "You're as bad as all the rumors say your house is...only mean and cunning. Not exactly the best mix in my opinion."

"You're as bad as all the rumors say your house is... only mean and cunning. Not exactly the best mix in my opinion."

Wyatt smiled so widely, and then in a moment, the smile disappeared. With a scowl, he replied lowly, “You have no idea how much of a compliment that is to me.” After a moment, he inhaled and continued. “Still, saying that is so… ignorant. It’s like saying every Gryffindor is courageous when you’ve got a ton of chickens in there. Or every Hufflepuff is kind when there are a million cruel, deceitful badgers. I could go on.”

“And rumors about my house are the least of my worries. There have been worse rumors about me, personally.” It was odd but true. For some terrible reason, Wyatt had a reputation at Hogwarts. It wasn’t a good one, that was for sure. But even though he was known for being mean to people for no reason, and being a rude kid over all, he was happy about it. At least he wasn’t known for being a lovable, approachable, goodie-two-shoes.

As he played twiddled his thumbs behind his back, he said, “You disappointed me, Wolf.” As he spoke, he wore a mock disappointed face with his bottom lip out. He slowly put his emotionless mask back on after a short moment. “You’re buying into the rumors and stereotypes? I thought you were smarter than that… or are you only using them to make me rethink my actions- or something like that?”

_{@Miranda Everest}

“Well, whatever rumours there are about you, I’m sure plenty of them have good foundations. You seem like a nasty enough person, I wouldn’t be surprised. Let me guess... something to do with the Dark Lord? That seems like the only rumour of any weight going around, about how this or that person is entwined with him.” Miranda carefully watched the boy for his reaction, although she wasn’t really any good at reading expressions. “It’s not exactly an original one, but it suits you. I wouldn’t have a hard time believing it.”

Miranda was just guessing, but she hoped she’d struck a nerve, at the very least. No one that she knew of liked to be related with that dark wizard.

“Whether I am or not,” she replied when he spoke again. “Doesn’t matter to you. As for the disappointment, I don’t really see how that works. Then again, I don’t really care either.” Miranda shrugged, her expression mostly a look of blank emptiness. She purposely didn’t answer his question. Why tell him any thing about herself? And besides, there was no right answer for that, at least, not that she could see at the moment. Why give him the satisfaction of a tactical blunder?

“Well, whatever rumours there are about you, I’m sure plenty of them have good foundations. You seem like a nasty enough person, I wouldn’t be surprised. Let me guess... something to do with the Dark Lord?”

Wyatt didn’t dare give the girl a reaction, she was clearly looking for one. Still, Wyatt was grateful that the Ravenclaw didn’t say his name. After his mother told him about the war and what his own grandparents had done because of and during it, the man’s real name made him quite uncomfortable. “Years after the war and people are still spreading rumors centered around the man who started it,” he sighed with a tight scowl.

“It’s not exactly an original one, but it suits you. I wouldn’t have a hard time believing it.” The Slytherin rolled his eyes. “Why, thank you. Means a lot.” The left side of his mouth turned upward into a sly grin. “Bullies are smart with their rumors.” Someone like Wyatt could appreciate something like a good rumor, even if the rumor was about him. Though he probably would’ve had a different opinion if a Gryffindor had started the rumor.

When the Ravenclaw kept talking, Wyatt tried to listen intently, but he kept zoning out. He hadn’t gotten much sleep the previous night. It was a strange feeling he had that kept him up- a feeling that something was wrong. He hadn’t received a letter from his mother in a few weeks, which was unlike her. Then, all of a sudden, he got a letter from her. After all that time. It was strange, something had to be wrong.

He managed to pick up her last sentence. “As for the disappointment, I don’t really see how that works. Then again, I don’t really care either.” Quickly, Wyatt replied “I didn’t think you would. The more I think about it, you’re quite predictable. So am I, though, so maybe I shouldn’t comment on your predictability.” A smile appeared on his face for just a moment before it melted into an unreadable expression.

“Look! We're bonding.” He said, sarcastically.

_{@Miranda Everest}

Predictable? Miranda wondered. I don't think I've ever been described like that before. Erratic, maybe. Confusing, inconsistent and unreliable, yes. But predictable? Nope, that had never happened. And what exactly had she said that was predictable? She racked her memory for all the things she'd said to him recently, and came up empty on answers.

"Look! We're bonding!" the boy exclaimed sarcastically (or at least, what Miranda hoped was sarcastically).

"Is this your idea of bonding?" she replied scathingly. "If so, you must not have any very good friends. Or are does everyone you know hate you as well? Do you even know anyone here? At all?"

Miranda snorted, although she didn't seem exactly amused. More...blank. Like she didn't care anymore. The only sign of any emotion was her face, which was still pale from her suppressed anger. Although, on the inside she was a turmoil of emotions, the most surprising of which was pity. If her words to the boy were true, and he didn't have friends...at all, then that sounded quite horrible. Miranda would never have survived her first year at Hogwarts with anything resembling a collective sanity without the various friends she'd encountered. They'd helped her through the year.

"Is this your idea of bonding?" the Ravenclaw replied scathingly. "If so, you must not have any very good friends. Or are does everyone you know hate you as well? Do you even know anyone here? At all?"

The girl threw around the word hate like she didn’t care anymore. Confidence that resembled having nothing left to lose and just putting everything on the table. Wyatt saw it coming, and he was surprised it took this long. This made him feel the need to take a longer look at this girl. What he noticed was that her eyes, though her face was blank, were glassy… and feeling… of… oh no. You’ve got to be kidding.

Pity!? PITY!? If there was one thing Wyatt hated more than Gryffindors or small talk it was pity. Wyatt didn’t want, nor did he need anyone’s pity ever. The only reason Wyatt didn’t have any friends was because he didn’t need any, and beside that, most of the kids at Hogwarts are pricks! How dare this random Ravenclaw feel pity! The Slytherin’s hands fell from behind his back to by his side and he clenched his fists.

Wyatt thought of how many enemies he had, and was sort of taken aback by how many there were. It was… most of the kids he’d met. Still, he told himself he didn’t need anyone’s pity. And he never will. “I don’t need friends.” He blinked, keeping his face unreadable. He’d gotten through life without any (human) friends. No, Perseus the snake didn’t count. He’s not even a very good listener.

“I don’t need people to like me either… but you could tell.” He put his hands behind his back again. “Does it get tiring seeking the approval of every last one of your peers?”

_{@Miranda Everest}

Something Miranda had said seemed to anger the boy, which was what she wanted, but it still took her by surprise. I wonder what it was, she thought as he gave her a cold glare. My assumptions? Or something else?

When he finally answered, it didn't do much to answer her questions. What kind of person didn't need friends? Everyone had to have some kind of positive relationship. Although, maybe that was why he was so mad and prickly all the time.

“I don’t need people to like me either… but you could tell.” The boy shifted again, clasping his hands behind his back. “Does it get tiring seeking the approval of every last one of your peers?"

Miranda decided not to give him the satisfaction of a straight answer. She was in Ravenclaw, the house of wit and riddles, after all. But first she'd tell it to him straight. Only a bit, though.

“Obviously I don’t seek everyone’s approval,” she said with a snort. “I think it’s obvious to say you don’t like me, and I don’t want you to like me. And vice versa," she tagged on as an afterthought.

She paused to think of what kind of riddle she could say to confuse the boy, but mostly came up empty. Miranda tended to tell people what she thought, no more, no less. Riddles...just weren't her style. In the end, she just decided not to. It would be better to not sound like a idiot with some kind of half-formed riddled creation. Better to wait and think.

It seemed like the conversation was over, really. Or at least Wyatt was done fighting this Ravenclaw. A little voice in his head said ‘It’s time for your closing statement.’ Wyatt took a breath. “You know, you’re right. I don’t want you to like me, and I certainly cannot stand you. I hope I never see you again.” Wyatt exhaled. “I really could do without a childish, attention-hungry, loud-mouthed wolf like yourself.”

Really, the argument ended cause Wyatt was sure if it went on, that girl would be catching a nasty hex. He couldn’t stand her. The Ravenclaw was so obnoxious, Wyatt would’ve placed her in Gryffindor. Well, the argument wasn’t exactly over yet… he was done talking, sure, but he was still there, glaring. Before he could stop himself he pulled out his wand as discreetly as possible, and whispered, “Mucus ad Nauseum.”

“The name is Jack Burnett, and don’t you forget it!” Placing the blame on someone else was key if this girl was ever to tell a professor, which seemed likely. With that, he put his wand away as quickly as he could and smirked, walking off. He pushed his way to his next class as fast as he could, but it wouldn’t matter how fast he went. The girl didn’t even know his real name, so reporting him would be useless.

_{@Miranda Everest
Leaving the thread unless prevented. You could end it here or react.}