How Could I Be So Stupid? Closed

Attire: Usual school day attire: robes, shirt (buttons mismatched), tie (undone), kilt, neck ring, no shoes.

Reducio

Colin ran from the Great Hall, the hot tears streaming down his face. He could feel the thick stones of the castle floor under his bare feet as he ran. They changed from the Great Hall to the Small Hall and out to the entryway. Colin just felt the need to run, and so he sped all the way down to the lake and didn't stop until he fell in to the cool waters! He splashed around for a moment, but this was no time for a swim! So he squeezed the water out of his kilts and shirt and headed back up towards the castle, and still he felt horrible --- he was mad at himself, he was upset at Clair, he was super annoyed that he'd let this happen!

The corridors of his long flight were mostly empty, as dinner was done and most of the kids would be either outside or in their common rooms. The few he met he dodged and avoided. He didn't want anyone to stop him for a chat so he just kept his head down and ran.

He ran as fast as he could. He ran down all the stairs to the deepest of the castle's basements, so he kept going and ran all the way up to the high tower of the owlery. And still it wasn't enough! He had to get the hurt out somehow! But he didn't know how or where to do this! It wasn't working! So he ran ran back down the stairs until at last he came to a place he had never been before. He stood outside the unfamiliar place, panting, his damp hair still dripping and his tears still flowing.

He'd heard of the trophy room, of course, as Hunter and Quinn and Pax had all told stories that took place here. But Colin didn't care about any of that. "Clair! How could I be so stupid!" he shouted to the old but recently polished awards. "How long have I known about the ball now? How many chances did I have to ask her?" he screamed at the House Cup. "What if he asked her at lunch today, or even before dinner? What if I was only a half hour late in asking her to go with me?"

Colin made a fist and punched it into his other hand. "Stupid! Why didn't I just ask right away? Why did I wait? Wh---what if she likes her date --- more than me? I know she said she would've gone with me..."

"SNRRRRLLL!!!" Colin snarled at himself in frustration. He cried. He was no longer mad at Clair --- he knew he could never be for long. But still his heart ached. He just stood in the middle of the cool, dimly lit place the way a lost child might who's lost sight of his mum, just a hurting boy who had no idea what to do next and no one to turn to.

@Alena Fernsby | @Finnegan Conner | @Jack Ace | @Alma Stoll || Mentions @Clair Fernandez | @Sophia Nelson