Moon and Stars PV Starlee

Starlee had been SO excited when she saw the invites for the ball scattered around the castle. I mean really, what eleven-year-old wouldn't get excited over the prospect of dressing up, dancing, and doing fun Halloween themed activities? Well, certainly this little firstie was overjoyed. Starlee had a very difficult time deciding on which ball she would attend. On the one hand, the masquerade sounded mysterious and edgy, but the costume party had pumpkin carving and lots of fun stuff to do... plus a costume. She really couldn't make up her mind and decided that she would make herself an outfit that would fit with both balls.

While Starlee certainly had an interest in boys, no one so far had really caught her eye, so she and Tina had ended up deciding that they would go together in matching costumes. Starlee had always wanted to dress up as her namesake, a beautiful star, and Tina had decided to go as her moon. BBF's forever, amiright?

Starlee had sent her parent's countless owls as to what she wanted her costume to look like and with a mother who was a decent seamstress, she sewed the girls' dress together, and sent it all in a nice little package back a few days before the ball. 'This better fit...' she mumbled when she tried it on in her dorm. And it did, just like a glove! The shimmering fabric emblazoned with sparkly embroidered stars was exactly what Starlee had hoped for. It could easily fit in with either ball and Starlee was super excited to show it off to Tina and to see just how cute their matching outfits would be. She contemplated what Tina was wearing, maybe a sleek silvery moon-colored dress, with little crescents embroidered on it? Tina would look good in something like that, Starlee was certain.

Finally, it was the day of the ball. She received an owl from Tina requesting her to meet in the rehearsal room since it was one of the few places that they could get ready in peace. Starlee still didn't really understand why she couldn't visit Tina in her common room, but I guess rules were rules. Starlee donned her dress and sparkly gold kitten heels, grabbed her crown and wand, and headed up to the room so they could do each other's hair and makeup.

She slowly opened the door and was flabbergasted by the glamour of the large room. She had never had a reason to go here before and now she wished she was in some sort of musical club, just so she could meet up here. The large chandelier was absolutely beautiful and she slowly walked into the room, not taking her eyes off it, her little heels click-clacking around her. She finally turned away to close the door, when she spotted a large globe with that naturally curly hair bouncing around atop it.

'Oh no.' was all Starlee thought as she waited for the other girl to notice her, which would probably be soon with how echoey that room was...

@Martyna Romero

Interacting with @Starlee Kennedy

Click, click, click.

Tina whipped around as she finally caught the sound of Starlee's clipping heels, her arms hanging limply over the sides of her plump, moon-shaped costume. Her mouth was twisted into an excited, cheek-achingly proud grin. She knew looked hilarious, and was certain that Star would absolutely love it. The Hufflepuff could already clearly imagine the sight of her BFF bursting into a fit of uncontrollable giggles, doubled over at their shared joke. There was something very entertaining to the girl about the idea of them attending the ball together in their ridiculous costumes. It almost made them closer friends in a sense, now that they were mucking around together. Additionally, it was sort of impossible to feel embarrassed when you were having fun with someone like Starlee.

This expectant expression dropped off Tina's face, however, the moment her friend's costume caught her eye.

She looked... beautiful. Jaw-droppingly so. Dressed in an elegant, glittering dress, covered in her embroidered namesake, with the flowing, transparent fabric gracing her arms and collar as though a white blanket of sky had taken its place there, no one could deny she looked stunning. A graceful crown, golden heels and an adorable wand completed this... magnificent look. For a moment, Tina just stood there, dazed and confused, until her widened eyes began to drift slowly downwards, taking in the cheap, sparkling charity shoes on her feet and garish, handmade moon-costume on her torso.

This wasn't what she'd had in mind at all.

Starlee had yet to say anything, a sheepish, awkward silence settling over the huge, empty room where they stood. Perhaps she felt guilty, Tina thought. Perhaps she'd known her friend was going to turn up in something stupid, and wanted to show her up by wearing a pretty dress. Tina had imagined a funny, nativity-style sort of outfit, one that you'd see in a primary school Christmas play, not... whatever this was. She'd thought they'd decided on the Halloween party to attend - not the masquerade - and yet Starlee looked as though she'd fit in there just wonderfully.

Well maybe she should screw off there, then, if she wanted to go so badly!

"I thought... I thought we were matching," Tina said coldly. She looked the Slytherin, who stood a few metres away, dead in the eyes, brow furrowed and voice tight. Although she was tempted to run back to her dorm and hide away for the rest of the night, she knew that she couldn't give her so-called 'friend' the satisfaction of knowing she'd put her off the ball altogether. Starlee had done this on purpose - she just had to have done. Oh gosh, this was going to be so humiliating; even at a costume party, she couldn't imagine there'd be anyone looking as... absurd as she did. "I look like an idiot now."

She did. She really did and it was all her fault. Tina couldn't believe this.

"Thanks a lot."

Tina's bulbous globe spun around to greet Starlee, a huge grin plastered on her face. However, that grin quickly turned to shock as she surveyed Starlee's outfit. Starlee wondered what in the world the girl was thinking. 'I mean, I do feel and look like a Star', Starlee thought, but it became clear when Tina looked down at her own costume, just what the other girl was contemplating. Anger was clearly bubbling up in Tina. Her brow furrowed and Starlee was frantically trying to figure out what went wrong. What miscommunication could have happened for them to turn up in such different outfits? She thought she had told Tina she was still undecided and honestly wanted to attend both balls. Did Tina forget or something? Plus, who in their right mind would show up in a giant globe like that? I mean sure, its Halloween, but who wants to be a giant globe?!?

Starlee's mind wasn't stuck on the reason for such varied outfits for too long as her friend began to speak. "I thought... I thought we were matching, I look like an idiot now. Thanks a lot." Starlee's jaw dropped a little when she heard this, but she quickly began to feel a rush of emotions overcome her. Anger that Tina was so accusatory. Hurt that Tina felt like it was Starlee's fault. Baffled as to why Tina would even choose such a costume and not something more elegant. She tried to compose herself, but it all seemed to be falling apart, each emotion vying for Starlee's top attention.

Of course, first, it was Starlee's brutal honesty that came out, for better... or well... probably for the worse. Her face had also begun to scrunch up as she tried to begin to hold back her laughter at just how ridiculous Tina looked. "Well... I don't think you can say we aren't matching... *giggle* you are the moon and I am the stars... sooo... *giggle*." At this point, Starlee could no longer hold back her laughs and she turned away from Tina to try to hide it, but no doubt Tina's choice in the room would betray her with its echoes. Thoughts such as 'She looks like a giant freaking egg! and 'It's just so stupid!'' flew around as she tried to get her laughter out as quickly as she could.

She turned back around, finally done with her laughing fit, and said "Why in the world would you want to be a huge globe? Did you think I was gonna be a large star or something? I said it would be classy Tina, not tacky..." She said, quite directly and forcefully at Tina, putting her hands on her hips. However, her face and confidence fell a smidge as she quickly realized that could have been hurtful, and she had only said it because of Tina's accusing reaction. Well, it was too late for that now, she thought, trying to pick her face back up. This was not Starlee's fault, and she wasn't gonna let Tina think it was.

@Martyna Romero

Interacting with @Starlee Kennedy

This was probably her worst nightmare. Tina was always a little over-obsessed with how others perceive her, and the bold look she was going for right now was not it. It didn't help that Starlee's immediate response wasn't empathy, or a genuine apology, or a 'lets go and find you another costume' or vice versa, no. Starlee's first response to this awful, and downright embarrassing situation was to laugh. Tina's nose scrunched up, an attempt to keep the tears threatening her eyes locked inside. The fact that someone who was meant to be her friend found this hilarious was disheartening, to say the least.

They were not matching, no matter how much the other girl insisted that was the case. If the two of them were seen together, it might have just appeared to be an odd coincidence, as though they were part of some other pair and just so happened to have the same costume idea, taking it in two different directions in their dress-up game. If Starlee was trying to make light of it all, it wasn't working, and Tina was adamant not to let it work. Her friend needed to know and realise that everything Tina was feeling right now was her fault, and she needed to feel guilty.

Part of what was making her so angry was how beautiful she looked. Next to Tina, it was blatantly obvious (at least in her eyes) that her Slytherin companion was a million times prettier. She scowled, resentment clouding her features as Starlee dug herself deeper and deeper, even going as far as to call her costume, 'a huge globe' that was 'tacky', implying that she'd considered it a stylish outfit fit for the Masquerade. Of course she bloody hadn't! Hell, Tina was a million times more fashionable than Starlee, no matter how you looked at it; when did it become her place to lecture people on the clothes they wore?

"I didn't think it was stylish!" she blurted out, surging forwards towards the other girl before she could stop herself. She wasn't going to slap her, that much was obvious, but that didn't stop her hand from twitching ever so slightly, a sign that the impulse was still there, frustration brewing. Her dark eyes blazed, unsure where to settle. She couldn't bare to look at the dress, but it was even trickier to look Starlee in the eye. "I thought it would be fun! I don't know why you had to be so..." Her mind raced with words that would hurt the girl's feelings. So stuck up? So full of herself? So... "...Such a snake!"

The reference to Starlee's house held a cold purpose. Tina knew the girl had been disappointed to be put in Slytherin, the same house as Elizabeth Isaacs, the awful, prejudiced girl that had brought them together on the train ride. The same house that had previously upheld such a poor reputation. Initially, this retort had provided some well needed revenge, however, as the weight of her own bitter settled on her shoulders, colour rose up to her neck, warming her skin. She was going to burst into tears any minute.

Not in front of Starlee, though. No way.

"Just go to the posh one then, if that's what you want! I bet Elizabeth will be there! You can talk about how stupid my costume is and whatever else!" Her voice was breaking with the heaviness in her throat. The logical part of her brain was pleading with her that miscommunications via OWL were easy, but she ignored it, far too upset. "I'm going back to Hufflepuff. Good luck trying to do your make up without me."

And with that final, scathing remark, Tina stomped past her, and exited the Rehearsal Room.

Martyna has left the thread.

"I thought it would be fun! I don't know why you had to be so... such a snake!" A wave of shock overcame Starlee's face, and it was clearly visible. Starlee should have known that Tina would stoop so low as to call her a snake. Especially after her words to Liz on the train. She hated being in Slytherin. No, she abhorred it. Tina knew this. And yet she decided to try to hurt Starlee by calling her what she hated most.

Starlee was no Elizabeth Issacs, why couldn't Tina see that? Just because Starlee was placed in Slytherin didn't mean she would do something like this on purpose. Liz, on the other hand, definitely would do this. She loved being the center of attention and looking beautiful... Starlee just wanted to be cute and matching with who she thought was her best friend. It really seemed as if Tina just couldn't drop the comparison between Starlee and Liz, and their Slytherin House 'bond,' if you can call it that. Honestly, how could Tina think that Starlee would go and hang out with Elizabeth at the Posh Ball? Starlee had literally been doing whatever she could to minimize her time in the common room when Liz was around. Tina was so freaking lucky she didn't have to hide or be scared of some prank in her dorm while she slept. She just wanted to have one fun night with no Elizabeth around.

And now that fun night had taken a turn for the worse as Starlee had to stand here and be berated by Tina for something that was an accident. So, maybe Starlee shouldn't have laughed at Tina, but, how could anyone not laugh at an outfit as ridiculous as that? Plus, Starlee knew this whole incident wasn't her fault. Tina started it... accusing Starlee of purposefully dressing up nicer. If only they had had the time to actually talk through their outfit ideas together and to not just owl about it. School had been rough on the both of them, she knew it, but that didn't mean that this whole mess was Starlee's fault. Well, it was too late for that, since at that moment Tina finished her rant, stomped right by Starlee in her sparkly boots, and left the room.

Starlee simply watched her go, at this point realizing that there was nothing else to say. Tina could believe whatever she wanted right now, there was no way to change her mind. Plus, with that snake comment, Starlee would rather not see Tina ever again.

So, Starlee turned around on her heel, and click-clacked her way back down to the dungeons, praying she wouldn't run into Liz before the ball. She was determined to make the best out of this situation, and she would certainly still go to that posh ball without Tina. Who needs her anyway?

@Martyna Romero
Starlee has left the thread.