Breaking Even (Open)

[Teagan Kelly]

Her eyes widened. Oh, yes, it did sound like fun. She was just so completely shocked by it that she couldn't speak for a minute. Teagan's heart beat furiously in her chest as she studied the girl.

Well, it was completely unexpected, the turn her day had taken. She'd been just sitting there at the tree and hadn't really expected someone to come and sit down near her. It still shocked her that people wanted to talk to her at all.

Deep down inside, her inner self was turning somersaults and jumping for joy. This was the thing that everyone secretly longed for even if they didn't feel the need to show it. All the young girl had ever wanted was to be accepted and loved and this older girl seemed to be trying to help her get to that point. Teagan smiled shyly over at her.

"Yes, I'd like that very much. I don't know many girls," she admitted a little sheepishly, "Actually, I don't really know many people. I do know Natalie but I'm not sure if she'd want to do something like that. I don't really think she enjoys being around people much... As for the music... I don't like Celestina very much, I'm afraid. I do know some Muggle bands and I enjoy them very much."

[Lily Evans]

Lily was getting excited about the idea, too. It had been such a long winter that it had seemed for a while that spring would never come. But it was finally here, just barely, and it seemed the perfect time to celebrate and just have a good time. And if it helped a few people to make more friends, then it couldn’t possibly be a bad thing.

“Great!” she said enthusiastically. “I’ll invite all the girls I know. Maybe even some boys… just not James and Sirius. I know Natalie… And you’re right, she might not come. But I’ll invite her anyway. And do you know Rori Logan? She’s a third year. And Danica Krizova… she’s a first year Gryffindor. And Robin Slater, and Sheena and Amandine Ferrera…” She just began rattling off names, her head filled with ideas. They could get the house elves to make up a picnic lunch for them, and she would bring her muggle record player that had been charmed to play without electricity. The more she thought of it, the more excited she felt.

[Teagan Kelly]

She felt herself becoming much more excited then before but underneath it all was a hint of nervousness. Lily knew so many people! She didn't think she'd talked to that many people before at one time. What an interesting time that would be! Teagan was worried though. Worried that all those people would hate her.

"I've only heard of most of those people before and Rori Logan only in passing," she admitted and then continued with, "You can invite whoever you want. It was your idea after all."

A small smile was present on her lips but it did nothing to mask her concern and worry.

[Lily Evans]

Lily could see that the girl was nervous, but she only wanted to help put her at ease. If she knew a few more people, then she wouldn't be so shy all the time. She just needed someone to take the initiative to introduce her to people. It would be easy enough. Lily knew a lot of people, and they were all very nice. They wouldn't have a problem taking Teagan in and getting to know her a little.

"If I invite any boys, it will probably be Dalton and Casey Morgan. Do you know them? Casey's in your year, I think."

[Teagan Kelly]

A smile slowly spread across her lips as she thought about the Morgan boys. She had met each of them previously and they were really nice. Her head was a whirl with many different emotions. Yes, she was nervous but she was beginning to think this was the best idea ever. Teagan knew she was painfully shy and it made her less approachable. She didn't want that and she definitely didn't want to be alone in her life.

"Yes, I've met them both," she answered with a grin.

[Lily Evans]

Lily’s smile widened. “Good,” she said decisively. “I’ll invite them, then. I think this is really going to be fun. We’ll do it on Saturday. You’ll be here, right?”

Her mind was moving quickly, and she desperately wished that she had a piece of parchment and a quill so she could write down some notes. She was a natural planner, but she couldn’t do it all off the top of her head.

“And what kinds of foods do you like? I’ll ask the house elves to prepare a few things, and I want to make sure there’s something you would like.”

[Teagan Kelly]

It seemed as if Lily had really taken to this idea and Teagan found herself caught up in it. Wouldn't it be fun, she though, to do something nice for themselves? There seemed to be so much going on in everyone's life and it would be a nice change of pace to have a little get together. It definitely would get their minds off reality for a moment.

"I am not a picky eater. I'll eat almost anything," she admitted ruefully, "I just like eating."

[Lily Evans]

Lily just smiled. If Teagan thought she needed to apologize for liking food, that was silly. They were young and they were growing, and if there was ever a time in their lives when they didn't have to worry about gaining weight, it was now.

"I like eating, too," she said. "I'll just ask the elves to make us some snack foods, and maybe some sandwiches. And maybe they could sneak in some cookies, too. Sound good?"

[Teagan Kelly]

Teagan smiled at her, appreciating her answer. She thought it all sounded perfect so she said so.

"That sounds perfect. I can't wait," she said with another rather large grin.

[Lily Evans]

Lily loved making people smile. She had a sunny personality, and she genuinely liked people. If she could make a difference for Teagan and help her make some new friends, then it was definitely worth it. And the party was a good idea anyway; everyone had been under a lot of stress and they needed to do something fun.

"Are there any particular muggle bands that you like? I only have a few records here, but I could write to my mum and ask her to send me some more. Mostly all I have here is the Beatles. Do you like them? They're my favorite."

[Teagan Kelly]

She grimmanced slightly at the question. Teagan was actually not allowed to listen to Muggle music or do anything that involved contact with Muggles. It was a good thing that she had her Grandmum or she would have never heard of any Muggle bands at all.

"The Beatles are okay. I like the Rolling Stones, the Bee Gees, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Aerosmith, and John Lennon," she said feeling a little bit self-conscious.

Okay, so they weren't exactly that kind of music that most people would think she would like. Big deal. She loved all kinds of music.

[Lily Evans]

Lily broke into a smile. "I love John Lennon!" she said brightly. "He was always my favorite Beatle... I had such a crush on him when I was little. My sister Petunia and I... we used to listen to the Beatles all the time. And she had a crush on Paul McCartney, and I loved John... he always had that sort of cheeky sense of humor, you know? And when they split up, we both cried... that was when we were still talking to each other."

Her expression darkened for just a moment as she thought about Petunia. It seemed like so long ago now since they had been close, but it really wasn't that long when she thought about it. Maybe there was still a chance that she could repair her relationship with her sister. She remembered all those times when they had bonded over Beatles records; how Petunia had told her all about them and played the records for her all the time. Now, she didn't even know if her sister still liked Paul or listened to those old records.

But she pushed these thoughts out of her mind for now. It wasn't like she could do anything about them right now, and she didn't want to seem rude to Teagan. So the smile returned to her face. "I'll see if I can get any records by those other bands, for you. And I love John Lennon's solo stuff, too. I think Imagine is the most beautiful song I've ever heard."