Chapter 168

How can a week feel like a life time?

That was the question floating around Adria's head for the week she had been away from Sirius, it was as though time ticked slower, her tears spilled in waterfalls dripping onto the sheets of the almost foreign girl's dormitory that she had spent her time with the girls fending from her.

It wasn't a break up, Adria knew that, she wasn't going to break up with Sirius without knowing every single detail of the truth, but it seemed as though she already knew it, she saw with her own eyes, his lips on another girl's, on Keira's, on the girl sporting a black eye, as was Sirius, curtsey of Lily and James.

The boys weren't talking to Sirius, no one was, and achingly, annoying, Adria felt terrible for him, she simply couldn't help it, she hated that her catching him made his friends despise him in only a matter of seconds, but then, the other half of her filled with rage, filled with so much sadness, spoke, "good," it was good that they had her back, and she knew fine well if it was opposite then they'd all have Sirius' back.

But it wasn't opposite, his lips met another girl, and to Adria, it seemed as though he wanted it as much as Keira did, when that was so far from the truth.

She longed for him back, she wished she never saw what happened, no - she wished that it had never happened in the first place, that maybe if they had more time together, that they didn't have studying, or friends, or classes that maybe this wouldn't have happened, that they'd be able to give each other more attention.

She knew that it was an entirely stupid thought, they spent every Sunday together, and Sirius never was out of ordinary about it.

Though she only saw Sirius once after she had caught him, with puffy cheeks and red eyes, his hair quite simply a mess, too, and whilst the sight shattered her heart, she had no real sense of sadness for charming a rain cloud to follow him about.

"Deserve it, Professor," was all Sirius would say when McGonagall would scold him about it, which was countlessly. But truly, he did not deserve it, he didn't do a thing wrong, he knew that if Adria hadn't caught Keira, that she would be the first to know what happened, when finally, able to free himself from the strong grip the small girl had, Sirius would have went running to find Adria, running to tell her what happened, to make sure she knew that he didn't cheat on her.

Because this situation was entirely like the one Adria found herself in with James way back before he was with Lily, the only difference was that James was not caught in the act, but Adria was able to tell Sirius what had happened.

But that day wasn't in Adria's mind, she was far too heartbroken to think logically, to think that this could be anything like that day, the image replayed in her mind, an image Sirius didn't have to see when it happened to Adria.

The two of them felt drained without the other, their eyes dull, frowns evident, tears always staining their faces with puffy cheeks to match, Adria was desperate for an explanation, but the thought of facing Sirius was all too hard for her to cope with, she was unsure that she could do it, that she could approach him with her head held high, rather than the tears still staining her face.

Blair had tried to get Remus to approach Sirius, to ask him what had happened, to demand an explanation for Adria's accusations of him cheating on her, but it was too hard for him too, to have to shout at the boy he knew as his brother, to scream at him for the hurt he had put his sister through, he wasn't sure he could.

Peter tried to, he stepped up to it, he walked over to him, he spoke, "Sirius," and when he saw the look on the boy's face, he simply couldn't do it, he wasn't able to scream at him, to demand an explanation for it, because he knew that Sirius was sorry, it was so clearly obvious, struck across his features.

"Don't," Sirius choked out, shaking his head, it was one simple word with so much meaning that Peter knew, that Peter was able to decipher with just the tone of the boy's voice, and with a short nod, and an evident frown, Peter had to turn around, and walk away from him, guilt unable to keep at bay in his stomach as he left his best friend - his brother all alone like he had been for the majority of the week.

James couldn't even try.

He was struck by anger the moment the words tumbled from Adria's lips, that he had cheated on her, he didn't think it to be true, but she had caught him, she spoke the words, "I caught Sirius cheating on me," and that was all James could think of as he held his best friend in his arms, his eyes narrowed with anger, standing suddenly, ignorant to Adria's protests to leave it, to not do anything.

He found Sirius leaning against the wall, silent, alone, the tears already spilling, he regretted it instantly, Sirius saw him approach and knew what was to come, he didn't put up a fight, he didn't speak a word, he allowed James to punch him, to get the shock, the anger, the sadness out, he allowed his knuckle to collide with his cheekbone, to feel the pain stinging his cheek, hopefully able to pull him from the nightmare he found himself in.

But he didn't wake up, instead, he was just a boy, with a bruising cheek and a best friend turning away from him, walking down the corridor with a stinging hand.

He almost believed that he had hurt Adria, with the way his friends where acting, with the way he felt, it was as though he truly did hurt her, that he did cheat on her, but the reality was the only thing he could hold onto as his world came crashing down.

He would never cheat on her, he was far too in love with her to ever do something so painful, to hurt her, he never looked at another girl in a way as though he could love them the way he loved Adria, it was impossible, and he knew that, he always had, he knew he didn't kiss Keira, he knew perfectly well that he was not a cheat, he never would be, and he never could be.

He was far too in love with Adria Hopkins to ever betray her like that, but he also knew her.

Very well, actually.

He knew that she would come to him when she was ready, and whether that be tomorrow, or two months, he would always wait for her, he would wait until he took his last breath for her, losing her was not on his to do list, but he would never force her into talking to him, never corner her, because she needed time.

And he knew that if he had caught someone with their lips on her he would react in the exact same way.

When the news that the head girl had gotten detention, he couldn't say he was surprised, although he was sure it would be because of him, because she had pushed him off of the astronomy tower for doing something so vile, but Lily hadn't even looked in his direction, she hadn't casted one glare, or anything of the sort.

And Sirius thought that to be worse.

Instead, Lily went after the girl, the one to initiate the kissing, because whilst Sirius was essentially the one to cheat, it takes to for the job to be done, and the shock Lily had when she found out it was the girl her and her friends had welcomed with open arms, she couldn't exactly say that she wasn't shocked.

So, shocked in fact, that she had her slight doubts, but Adria was her best friend, and her word trumped anything else, she trusted Adria with her life, so with her logical thinking far away from her, and fury bubbling in her stomach, Lily went on a mission.

Keira didn't even look remotely sympathetic.

"Is this what you do?" asked Lily, her voice cold, harsh, sharper than a knife, and even with the façade that Keira had, she couldn't deny that she wasn't the least bit intimidated by the girl in front of her, "ruin people?"

"Don't know what you're talking about," Lily picked up on the slight stutter laced within Keira's voice, it wasn't hard to pick up on, actually, and well, the whole shift of Keira's body language spoke fear. Lily couldn't be prouder.

"Plenty of things, actually," Lily tutted, taking a step forward, her lips twitching when Keira shifted her shoulders, "though the thought of you thinking you could get away with kissing Sirius is really popping out to me, or maybe the fact that you acted so completely innocent, with this façade that you're the victim in your story, that everyone should feel sorry for you, and you know what, I'm starting to believe that everything you have told us is just a complete lie!"

"I-It's not," Keira huffed, feeling the fear bubble in her stomach as the girl took another step forward.

"I would've believe that, had it not been from you," Lily sighed, shaking her head, "now I'm not one for violence, Keira, really, it's not really what I believe in-"

She cut herself off when Keira sighed, almost in relief, it seemed like, which only furthered Lily's anger with her, "but I believe I can make an expectation for you, no one, ever, hurts my friends, no one hurts my Adria, she has been through far too much to deal with the likes of you, she doesn't need this, and she certain doesn't need you-"

"Lily-"

She cut herself off when the pain stung her cheek, and subtly cradling her knuckle, Lily took a step back, watching Keira as she fell to the ground, holding her cheek in her hand, wide eyed with shock, even though she saw it coming, she felt the tears well in her eyes but she choked them back, eyeing Lily who looked completely dead.

Eyes cold, ridden with any emotion previously there, "you knew how in love they were, you knew how happy they were together, and you tried to ruin that, to break them, how did it feel kissing him? knowing that Adria could see, that she did see, does it even bother you that she is crying, that she is hurt, confused, aching with sadness all so you could have a bit of fun, how long has this been going on for?!"

It was at that moment that Keira realised that she was defeated, that her fun had stopped long ago, that she was a pathetic excuse for a human being, and she finally noticed it herself, and so, with feigned confidence that she was sure wasn't working, and a sincere gaze able to put Lily back onto the defensive, she spoke, "only once."

"I-"

"You don't understand, Lily," Keira spoke, an odd genuineness to her tone that allowed Lily's lips to part, "you shouldn't believe a word I speak, you should walk away from me, but if there is one thing to know, to believe from me it's this-"

"Why should I even listen to anything else you have to say?"

"Trust me," Keira frowned, her shoulders slumping, her dignity gone, "I was a girl with a crush on a boy that I couldn't have, it's happened before, and I was blinded by idiocrasy to see the cons of it all, Sirius didn't kiss me back, in actual fact, he was trying to push me off, but I was angry at Adria for being this perfect girl, that if she hadn't caught us, I would have warped the version of what had happened just to hurt her, she seems so bloody perfect, so bloody gorgeous, so bloody popular- what could possibly be wrong in her life? She has everything, a gorgeous boyfriend, loyal friends, I wanted to be her, I wanted to ruin her."

Lily's anger grew at the words the girl spoke, she didn't feel sorry for her, she didn't care about her any more than she had when she found out what happened, and with eyes narrowed and a scowl on her lips, she spat, "you're pathetic," and soon walked down the hall, completely ignorant to the girl staring after her.