She was stupid, she was dumb, why did she ever think making a Christmas card for boys was a good idea. Honestly, she didn't even know people would think making Christmas cards was acting like you liked someone. She thought it would be nice to make Christmas cards for all her older friends, but then one fell out of her bag and it was the one to Derf. Why did that girl have to pick it up, why did she have to start saying that Chloe had a crush on him, she didn't, he was just always super nice to her, but now she had ripped it up and threw it away.

Hiding in the broom closet she pulled her legs closer and rocked a little. She thought maybe if she stayed there the girl would leave and forget about her, maybe she'd stay there for a week or so if she had to. The worse part was she didn't even know who the girl was or that someone from Hufflepuff could actually be that mean.

Knowing other people say her run off she knew it would get around the school and most likely get to Derf at some point. Now he was going to think she liked him liked him and that was something she didn't want to face.

Gunnar was sure he saw Chloe come this way. Not that he wanted anything specific, more that he just wanted to talk to her and maybe hang out a little, but now that he turned down this corridor, he completely lost sight of her.

"......Chloe?" He paused and turned a bit to try to catch sight of her. Hmm. Maybe she went into this class--. Wait, that wasn't a classroom, it was a broom closet. But Gunnar opened the door anyway, finding to his surprise, his sister.

"Chlo, what are you doing in here?" Gunnar raised an eyebrow as he looked down on her sitting form. Something was probably wrong because it seemed fairly clear that she was hiding.... but what was it?

She had been hiding and rocking a little. She didn't want anyone teasing her about her cards anymore and when the door opened she buried her face to hide from anyone coming to taunt her about it. It was a silly card and honestly, he probably wasn't going to like it anyway, but it didn't matter now she had ripped it up and threw it away. Maybe she should do that with the others, maybe all the card should go to the rubbish bin, no one would probably like them anyway.

"Gunnar?"


Looking up her green eyes fell on her brother, "Close the door, quick" pulling at his robe to make him come into the closet before anyone else saw. "Did those girls follow you? Are they still in the Hall laughing?" She thought puffs were supposed to be nice.


As her eyes focused more now that they were adjusting to some light she gave a big sigh, "hiding, hiding from older kids that are misletoe love crazy. Why does everything have to be about love? Why can't it just be about being friends?" She knew she was probably not making sense to him, but her words were as jumbled as her thoughts.

Wow... okay... what was happening? Gunnar nearly stumbled forward as Chloe pulled his robes to get him inside. But he did step into the closet and shut the door at her request, soon lighting his wand with lumos.

"What girls?" he asked with a hint of confusion. "I didn't see anyone out in the corridor... just you..." And he had followed. And he hadn't noticed anyone else around or anyone laughing.

His brow was still knotted with confusion as she tried to explain. Were these older girls laughing at her? But he still wasn't sure what that mistletoe craziness had to do with it. "Hormones," he offered as an answer. "Everyone's hormones are out of control and it makes people constantly think about kissing and crushes and... yeah." That was what it was like to be a teenager, he supposed. It was a crazy time. "Doesn't mean being friends isn't just as important though. Did someone tell you differently?" Was this what the laughing was about?

"THE GIRLS IN THE GREAT HALL!!"

Her hand went over her mouth because she knew in her upset frustration she had yelled those words and the girls might find her. "I don't know who they were, but they were laughing about my Christmas card." Her lip wibbled a little, they were just for friends, she wasn't liking, liking anyone yet, at least not admitting to liking anyone.

HORMONES??

"What? No.. stop Gunnar, make it go away." She hated that word, it was showing that things were changing and her friends were liking boys more than Quidditch and she wasn't okay with any of this. "Do you think about kissing all the time? HAVE.... have you kissed people yet?" Was her brother one of the crazy kissers? Should she start beating up some people for kissing her brother? What if they got him sick and then he got her sick! Germs were a thing, people! She witnessed it her first year. #mono2096

"I had a card for Derf and they said I had it because I liiiiiiiiiiike him. I don't liiiiiiiiiike him he is a seventh year and ewww no, that's to old. He is my friend and I like him as a friend, but they were acting like I had a crush on him and I don't have a crush on him, I don't have a crush on anyone okay maybe on someone but not him, and why does it always have to be about crushes. "

Breath Chloe Breath

Gunnar's eyes widened momentarily as her sudden shout startled him slightly. He really didn't think that was necessary, but clearly she was upset. But then his expression changed somewhat as she continued.

".......why would anyone laugh about Christmas cards?" It was nice to give Christmas cards, even if he wasn't so thoughtful to do it himself, and his confusion was apparent.

And he simply shrugged to her response about hormones. It was a fact of life and he couldn't help it any more than she or anyone else could. But he wasn't really prepared for the questions that followed. "Uh..." he hesitated. "Yeah. I have." He couldn't say he thought about kissing all the time though, even if it remained a somewhat persistent thought. But... he wasn't so sure he wanted to talk about this right now.

Oh. That was why those girls were laughing. "That's kind of dumb." Really, why did girls act so weird like that? "That's really silly for them to just assume that. Of course you're allowed to give cards to friends. Do you want me to straighten them out?" Because he would. He wasn't about to allow someone to make his sister feel bad about herself. "Maybe they're jealous that you're friends with him.... wait, who do you have a crush on?" Because he didn't quite miss that in her verbal stream.

Seeeeeeeeee!!

Even her brother thought it was crazy, which always meant she was right and the others were wrong. Her brother was always the person to help her know these things. "Exactly! I just want to be nice and make people happy, why is that so bad?" She huffed a bit and leaned against the wall, not coming out anytime soon.

Her leaning didn't get to last very long because, HER BROTHER... KISSING.... WHAT? There was a long gasp and a dramatic hand to the chest, "Wait.. hold on, you think about kissing or you have kissed someone? Gunnar McCarthy what have you not been telling me?" He was her big brother she had a right to be nosy and in his business, it was her job! Come on boy, start talking.

"You would do that for me?" That was a silly question though because of course, he would, she knew that. "No, honestly I'll be alright, I just don't want to see them right now." She'd wait until they were fully gone or stay in here for the rest of the year not to face them again. She could be friends with the spiders.


Ooh, now it was her time to blush and look away, "No... no one, I have no crush on anyone, nope, nope, not me." She wasn't going to tell her brother he was a mistletoe screweruper.