Breakfast -- 5 December 2008

Ashley finally went down to breakfast at the normal time. She hadn't wanted to run into Michael or Riley at the table, so she had been going down later... but she was tired of avoiding them. If they said something to her, fine. If not, that'd be okay too. She knew Riley was done talking to her... so it was just Michael. She had no idea what was going through his head... and that worried her. That was why she was going to be surrounded by people in the Great Hall at breakfast time when her brother was at the Slytherin table so Michael couldn't freak out on her in public. She dind' tthink he'd do that.

She sat down and filled her plate and started eating, looking at teh people that surrounded her. A few seats away was Riley, but he kept his head down and was eating silently, ignoring everyone around him. She looked around for Michael...

Michael entered the Great Hall. He wasn't sure what he should say to Ashley, and it wasn't helping that she appeared to be avoiding him. He saw her sitting at the Gryffindor table. Walking over, he sat down beside her. "Hi, Ashley," he said as he gave her a side-to-side hug. He then began to get some food. "I'm hurt that it happened, though what's done is done. Ashley I would like to move past this...this awkwardness. Once through...I think we'll be stronger because of it. I love you, Ashley...and I hope you feel the same way," Michael spoke, before letting her digest what he said as he began to eat some food.

Katie walked into the great hall.. she moved over to the slytherin table.. since she was actually on time today the table was practically empty.. other then the few fresh first years.. slytherin's weren't generally so good with being on time

she over heard the mushy i-love-you speech Micheal just said.. she rolled her eyes "oh get a room already... I'm gonna puke from this mushiness and i haven't even eaten anything yet" she said not to loudly

Michael Corvinus wrote:

Michael entered the Great Hall. He wasn't sure what he should say to Ashley, and it wasn't helping that she appeared to be avoiding him. He saw her sitting at the Gryffindor table. Walking over, he sat down beside her. "Hi, Ashley," he said as he gave her a side-to-side hug. He then began to get some food. "I'm hurt that it happened, though what's done is done. Ashley I would like to move past this...this awkwardness. Once through...I think we'll be stronger because of it. I love you, Ashley...and I hope you feel the same way," Michael spoke, before letting her digest what he said as he began to eat some food.

Ashley stared at Michael with a slightly open mouth, which she closed quickly. "Er... what?" she finally managed to say.

Michael looked into her eyes, "I have been miserable while I have been thinking the past few days, and did I just...oh my...please don't freak out," he said honestly.

Ashley stared at Michael. She tried to speak a few differnt times, but nothing came out. "Michael... I... er... That's a big word... I mean, not literally... but you know what i mean..."

Michael nods and says, "My-Lady...I rehearsed what I wanted to say in my head. Once I got her and started talking, everything became jumbled. Its no doubt that you won't forget my saying it, though please understand that I like you a lot." He hadn't anticipated becoming the one that would be pleading, though after what he said, he hopes that she isn't driven away.

"Whatever is between us right now is kinda screwed up," Ashley said. "Not in a way that can't be fixed... but..." She sighed, knowing she iddn't make much sense. "I like you, too, Michael... but love? I'm only sixteen..."

Michael was freaking out too, especially since that word wasn't supposed to enter the conversation for another few years, at least. "Umm...I know...I really like you...trust me...I didn't plan on saying that word...I'm 15 years old," said Michael in a whisper, so the whole Great Hall didn't hear their conversation. 'How in the world am I going to get out of this one, unscathed?,' he asked himself, silently since the italics aren't working in my browser for some reason.

"Right, you're only fifteen," AShley repeated. For some reason his age hadn't crossed her mind. "And mayb eyou should start thinking before you talk... that might help situations... but I could also start thinking before I act," she added before he could use it against her.

Michael listened, and said, "Ashley...I wasn't going to say anything about that," since she threw that in at the end. "I probably should think more before speaking. Somethings come easy...I admit that I can be stupid sometimes." He then began to hit his head on the table, before he places his head in his hands. She's gone...after that much of a mistake word-wise...I've probably frightened her away.

Ashley sighed. "Everyone does stupid crap sometimes," she said.

Michael nods, even though his head was still in his hands. He rotated his head and said, "I'm so sorry. Please don't hate me. I'm not one that likes to rush things...I wasn't planning on saying it...it...it just came out before I could think through it." He rested his head and hands on the table.

"OK, this is getting really turned around," AShley said. "Our relationship is really messed up right now..." Ash sighed, thinking. "Michael, I really do'nt want to lose you as a friend -- which is more important to me than you being my boyfriend -- and I'll do anything to preservet hat. That's why I think we ought to slow it down... majorly. Like... just be friends and fix that level and then we can focus on the 'us' part again if we still think we should do it."

Michael listened, and gave a sigh, since it wasn't what he wanted to have happen, though Ashley was making sense. "I'm sorry about all of this, Ashley. I as well don't want to lose you as a Friend. You and I as Boyfriend/Girlfriend can come later...after our Friendship is patched up." He then looked at the table, sadness in his eyes, though it made sense to repair that which is most important to a relationship first...Friendship.

"It's not your fault any of this is happening," Ashley replied. "It's mine. And that's why I need to fix it... and this is the only way I can think of that'll really, truly work in the long run."

Michael listened, and said, "I know you're right, though it hurts me to think about going in reverse. Certainly rebuilding the foundation will strengthen everything, and if we decide to take it further, we'll have a Granite mountain as the base, instead of soil or various kinds." He kept his head tilted in his hands, so that he could look up towards Ashley and since he was feeling sad about the way the conversation turned.

"Exactly," AShley said, though she felt really bad for making Michael look teh way he did. "And I think we kinda rushed into it before... so we'll really work on our friendship and then we'll see if we even still think we're ocmpatible with each other..."

Michael listened and then said, "rushed or not...it still doesn't ward off the heartache, even though in the future, we might feel comfortable to try things again." He carried a straight face, that was borderline going to sad, rather than his usual smile face. He turned to the food, and felt no desire to eat right now. He placed his hand on hers for a moment, and then stood up to leave. "Hopefully I'll see you in the Gryffindor Common-room a little later." Michael then headed towards the door of the Great Hall and out into the entry room.

Ashley sighed heavily and looked at her food and then pushed her plate away. She wasn't in the mood for eating, etiher. She looked down toward where Riley had been sitting and saw that his seat was already empty... What had she done? Michael was willing to forgive her... but he said love and that totally freaked her out. But she didnt' want to lead him on if that wasn't the way she felt... so she had ended it as nicely as she could -- though she knew he was hurting (it had been rather obvious) and she was hurting too, but it was something that had to be done.