Chapter 4: Oh My God, Is Anyone Else Seeing This?

                                    

                                          
Chapter 4: Oh My God, Is Anyone Else Seeing This?
"You've barely touched your breakfast," Cedric says and knocks his knee against mine underneath the table.
"Cedric, you have no idea what I'm dealing with right now. The task, the hottest person I've ever seen, the most insufferable guy I know who won't leave me alone while I eat my breakfast," I respond and dip my chin into my hand, stealing a quick glimpse of Viktor. He's laughing at something. Could I ever make him laugh like that? His head is tilted back, neck exposed, Adam's apple protruding slightly as his throat bobs with each chuckle. I can barely hear him from here.
"I'm choosing to believe that I'm the hot one in this situation," Cedric says. "What's eating at you?"
"You and Cho," I hiss, leaning closer to him so my words don't carry, "transplanted this stupid idea in my head about Viktor."
"What are you talking about?"
"You said that he watches me," I say. "And now I can't stop looking at him and he probably thinks I'm creepy because of how much he catches me staring."
"Well," Cedric says slowly, a mischievous smile growing on his face, "if he notices you staring, that means he was looking at you too."
"Shut up, Diggory," I mumble and scoot away from him. "You're acting just like Nat."
Cedric catches the meaning of my words startlingly quickly, and offense spreads across his features. He turns his face down towards his breakfast as his cheeks flush pink.
"Ced, I'm sorry."
"No, it's fine. I know you had to coerce yourself into thinking it was even possible to like me," he mumbles.
"Ced, that's not what I meant."
"It's fine. Really. I got over it."
I drop the subject when he forces a smile onto his face. 
"You know," he says, "you tend to think lower of yourself than others do. I don't understand why you think it's so impossible for him to like you."
"That's not all this is. I don't want to convince myself that I like him if I don't."
"You'd know, killer. You knew with me."
"Ced..."
"It's fine," he insists. "Listen, my dearest friend, you are completely oblivious when it comes to this kind of thing. I'm not. Let me help you."
"No, I don't need you to meddle, Diggory," I said. "Really. I have enough to worry about this year without obsessing over some guy."
"Doesn't seem like that's stopping you," he says quietly and grins into his cup.
"Oh my God, Cedric, you're not helping. At all."
"Fine, I'll drop it," he says. "But he's looking at you again."
"Are you kidding?" I ask and fight the urge to look at Viktor.
"Nope, he's full-on staring, Y/N. Should we make him jealous?"
"Screw you, Diggory," I mumble, and with that, I leave.
***
Dragons.
Dragons, dragons, dragons.
What are they going to do with dragons?
The days are getting shorter and colder. November came fast and time is running out.
What are they going to do with dragons?
My knuckles are burning. They'll go numb in a few minutes, following closely after my fingers, which are turning blue at the tips. They're closed tightly around the wooden stick of my broom as I stare into the darkening sky. Deep purple like the wildflowers that my dad grows at home for Nat. I take a deep breath and release a white cloud with an exhale. The cold air refreshes my lungs, and then I'm swinging my leg over my broom like it's as natural as breathing. Blinking. Living.