She's like a rock and you keep chipping off a piece to hold on to. [Jack/Egan]

We are, oh we're about to be.
So much closer than you thought that we could ever be.
Well, I'm sorry to say that I gave it away.
We'll I'm empty. You're empty.
It's none of my business, but I won't be a witness.
If I hang on for the ride I promise I will crash without her there.

Tess had a plan. Maybe it wasn't a very good plan, and maybe it was the worst plan that she'd ever had. Maybe it made her a horrible person, and maybe it was just her playing the upper hand. Maybe she wouldn't get caught, but maybe her two best friends would shut her down and exile her for the rest of eternity. She had no idea, but if she got the results that she was looking for, it was all worth the try. Besides, she didn't mind snogging Jack Sloper. Not even a little bit.

She was all all bundled up, ready to brave the cold November air and head down to The Three Broomsticks, where she was sure Jack would be waiting for her. Her stomach was full of knots just thinking about what she was about to do. It was probably wrong of her, but what was she supposed to do? Egan seemed to think that everything that she said was a joke, but she was entirely serious. She wasn't going to have her pride hurt anymore if Egan only wanted to be friends. If telling him she thought he was handsome and cuddling all night was just friends, than she was about to let it be just friends. If he didn't care, she didn't have to care, right?

Tess headed down the hill towards Hogsmeade slowly, hoping that she wouldn't make it there first. When she came upon the village, it was bustling with students, and she squeezed between snowball fights and giggling girls and made her way to the front doors of The Three Broomsticks.

Shit. It was packed. Completely packed. She made her way around the bar and to the back of the building, searching for Jack among the faces in the sea of children. There were third years everywhere. Yuck.

After a thorough search, Tess unfortunately was forced to grab the only table open, a booth by the door. Whenever it opened, they were sure to freeze a little bit more. She sat down and stuck her hands beneath her thighs to try to protect them from the cold. She decided to at least leave her jacket on until Jack got here, and hopefully he arrived soon. If Egan came before Jack, then there was no chance that her plan could go down today, and that would be extremely disappointing, especially with Christmas Holiday coming up in a few short weeks. If all went according to plan, her Christmas could be one of the best ones yet.

Why was he nervous?

He shouldn't be nervous. At all. Tess had made it clear that they were just friends, that she didn't have any more feelings for him. As much as it hurt, Jack knew it was over. It was better like this, instead of Tess playing mind games with him. He appreciated her honesty and respected her desire to just remain best friends. So when Tess caught him after Herbology class stating that she wanted to spend time with him in Hogsmeade, Jack just couldn't say no. He was a good guy who focused on others before his own needs and feelings. So if Tess wanted to spend time with him he was going to say no because he was still hooked on her.

Throwing on his chocolate pea coat and pulling a matching beanie over his head, Jack made his way to Hogsmeade. Winter was coming and Jack wasn't really looking forward to it. Normally he wouldn't mind, but having no one to cuddle up to him made him dread the upcoming cold months. He enjoyed cuddling and when Tess and him had been dating they did a lot of that. Now...well he wasn't so sure if he was still allowed to cuddle her. They were still friends yes, but did cuddling make it seem to be more serious then that?

Stuffing his hands into his navy blue jeans, Jack walked towards The Three Broomsticks. The cold air was nipping at his exposed nose, causing him to occasionally blow his hot breath into his hands as he cupped his mouth and nose. A warm butterbeer sounded really good at the moment, and the thought of sitting by the fire with the beverage in his hand caused the young man to pick up his pace. He wondered if Tess had invited Egan, since they were all close friends. Every time the three of them got together there was always bound to be laughter and joking around with each other.

Arriving at The Three Broomsticks, Jack pushed the door open and closed it as quick as possible. The warm air wrapped around him immediately, causing Jack to stand there for a moment to get the cold feeling out of his body. It wasn't hard to spot Tess in the crowded pub, as she had gotten the table right by the door. Giving her a wide smile, Jack slid beside her and gave her a friendly hug and then pulled back. "Want to see if we can fight some big blokes for a table by the fireplace?" He joked as he pointed his thumb over at the burly guys drinking the harder stuff. His dark brown eyes lit up in amusement as he waved down a waitress for some Butterbeer for both of them.  Hopefully Tess wanted to drink some, if not he could just have both mugs and be really warm and fuzzy this cold evening.

If only he had a beautiful girl to kiss to go along with the beverage.

Tess saw Jack immediately as he came through the door, and had to remind herself to smile at first. She felt so severe, so in-the-zone. There was only one thing that she could think about. It seemed odd that what that one thing was, was something she hadn't thought of in a year. Was it about getting it over with? Or nerves that she might like it again? Nerves that he might push her away? She wasn't sure but as she grinned up at Jack Sloper, one of her best friends, she felt it in the pit of her stomach.

"Hey," She cooed, opening up her arms to wrap them around his shoulders. He was a great hugger after all. She shook her head in response to his question. She would be totally fine where she was. She started shaking off her coat and pulled the beanie from her head, opting to leave her scarf on for decoration. With a slight grin, she watched Jack order a butterbeer for each of them, and peering around his head, kept an eye out for Egan, whom she'd told to meet her here as well. She didn't want him to arrive for a minute or two more, and she was glad that everything so far was working out in her favor. Now all she had to do was get Jack to kiss her.

She looked down at Jack's thigh, and hesitantly placed a hand on his knee, showing a strange sort of passive-aggressive sexual affection that she hoped would fluster him into a spell. She looked up at Jack with big eyes, and smiled softly, thinking she was playing the part of a love-sick teenage girl very well. "Jack," She sighed, the corners of her mouth curling up. "You look really handsome today." She squeezed slightly on his knee and slowly leaned in, hesitating a moment before pressing her lips against his, not giving him much time to pull away if he'd wanted to. She would just have to wait and see if he would kiss back.

"You're right, we would probably get crushed."

Smiling still, Jack watched Tess as she looked up at him with those gorgeous big eyes. He was unaware of the scheme that was going on at this very moment. If he had known what Tess was doing he would've left already. Jack was a good guy and he would never hurt any of his friends. At least not intentionally. Since Egan had never told him his feelings for Tess, the sixteen year old was unaware of what was going on between his two best friends. Luckily for him, sometimes ignorance is bliss.

All of a sudden Jack felt Tess hand on his knees, causing his cheeks to flush as the smile left his face. "I...do?" He gulped and tried to ignore the feeling that was creeping up inside him. As Tess leaned in Jack tried to make sense of when things have changed back to the two of them being together. Last time he had kissed Tess she had declined his advances. Now here she was, with her hands against his thigh and her lips pressed against his own. However, he pushed those thoughts away as his left hand went to her waist and his right to cup her cheek. Closing his eyes, Jack kissed her back gently, his lips moving against hers as he became focused on her. The cold air coming from outside as the door opened no longer affected Jack, as kissing Tess was already causing his body temperature to rise.

Maybe Tess did want him back...he just really hoped she wasn't playing any mind games right now. It would crush him if she suddenly got up and told him she was just kidding. Lately he had been trying to forget about his feelings for her and move on. That was the best thing for him to do, but kissing Tess at this moment wasn't helping him do that. Not when he seemed like she wanted him just as much as he wanted her.

Any excuse to vacate the prison that had become Hogwarts leading up to the end of term was good enough for Egan Enders. Two days previous, he braved the subarctic November climate and attempted to go for a jog to get his mind off the endless amounts of assignments he had to finish. Needless to say, the combination of snow and the teenager's lack of physicality made the run decidedly unimpressive. Watching a lone first year try (and fail) to build a snowman was more exciting and just as effective for his needs. This particular Saturday was more ideal. The Hufflepuff had run into his oldest friend and confidant, Tess Gorman, after breakfast and she mentioned going to Hogsmeade that afternoon. The Gryffindor hardly had time to finish her invitation before Egan was happily agreeing, shoving the rest of his breakfast in his mouth and running to get a head start on his work.

Egan wasted no time on his trek to the quaint wizarding village -- he didn't even say more than two words to the seventh year girl in his house who had greeted him on her way back to the castle. No time for talking when fingers were going numb. It took longer than he remembered to reach his destination, but nonetheless, he was just as excited to have arrived at the front door of the Three Broomsticks which served as their meeting place. Egan wasn't sure if anyone else would be joining the duo though, he had been so quick to agree that details seemed to have slipped his mind. At this point, any human interaction outside of the library would suit him.

Warm air and a packed house greeted the teenager upon his entrance. Egan scanned the crowd for a familiar face, and saw every face but the one in particular he was supposed to meet. A few boys who were in the corner, huddled around something, noticed their housemate immediately and called him over to their table near the fire. Apparently, a seventh year with the ability to grow facial had had somehow tricked the bartender into thinking he was of age and was now sharing his drinks with his friends excitedly. It was an offer Egan couldn't refuse, not even for Tess. After having a few sneaky gulps and checking in with his friends, he saw Jack Sloper enter the pub and sit at table near the door. Excited to see that his other best mate was joining the fun, Egan rushed to the other side of the room, practically shoving a group of third year boys out of his way.

"How old are you?!" The Hufflepuff couldn't help but vocalize his shock at one of the boys in particular who was standing in his way. There wasn't a chance he was over eleven. Egan clapped his shoulder with a grin and directed him out of his way politely. He couldn't help but wonder if he looked so scrawny his third year. "Not a chance...." He answered himself under his breath before continuing his journey. What met his gaze, though, stopped him right in his tracks. Kissing? There his two best friends were. Sucking face. In the middle of the day. At the Three Broomsticks. Egan couldn't help but scoff aloud, unaware that this unfamiliar feeling in his chest might have anything to do with jealousy. Last he'd heard, Tess said just was only interested in being friends with Jack, who had yet to fully get over their brief coupling.  Egan couldn't keep up.

"Oi!" Egan slapped a hand on the table dramatically. "Come up for air, your face is turning blue, Sloper," He casually slid in the other side of the booth with a cheeky grin. If there was one thing that Egan Enders was good it, it was making people feel uncomfortable, intentionally or organically.

At the sound of Egan's voice, Tess nearly jumped out of her seat, but the slap of the table did startle her. She pulled away from Jack, wide eyed and bewildered, and suddenly completely regretting what she'd just done. She hadn't even taken into consideration what it would mean to potentially pit her friends against each other. But Egan was smiling over at them, which meant that her little plan didn't work out the way that she had hoped. He didn't appear to be green with envy at all. And now she'd have to deal with a lovesick Jack Sloper. Oops.

Bright red all around her face, Tess diverted her eyes from Egan's face and laughed uncomfortably. "Wasn't expecting you for a few more minutes," She admitted, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. That was a full lie, he was actually probably late for the time that Tess had told him, but she herself spent extra time on hair, outfit, and makeup. She wanted to look pretty. Desirable.

Remembering that her hand was still on Jack's thigh, she snatched it away, and immediately took a sip of the butterbeer in front of her, shaking her leg nervously under the table. She panicked to herself, full of dread and anxiety about how she was going to get out of this one. How could she break Jack's heart again. All she'd wanted was to see how Egan would react to Tess being with someone else, see if it stirred something inside of him. In her own defense, she had told Egan that she thought he was cute, and he merely laughed at her. He couldn't blame her for wanting to see if he could want something more. Maybe she could even pin this on him.

Tess shifted in her seat, no less red than she had been moments before. She wracked her brain for something to talk about. She could talk about Quidditch, or maybe the classes they shared, but none of it felt appropriate. Instead, she opted to sip at her drink from it's spot on the table, craning her neck forward. Silence would suffice. Besides, Egan would find something they could talk about. She was fairly sure of it.

A loud slap caused Jack to jump slightly.

Normally Egan's antics would cause the young Gryffindor to break out a smile and joke back with him. However, Tess reaction wasn't what he had expected. Especially after it was her who had kissed him. Not the other way around. Jack wasn't stupid, he could see the uncomfortable look that was coming from his ex girlfriend. Tess had been expecting Egan? Which must've meant that she knew he would show up soon while they were sucking each other's face off. Especially when Tess had snatched her hand away from his thigh.

A sickening feel took root deep into his stomach, and he began to feel like he was going to throw up. The awkward silence that filled the seconds as they ticked away was enough to make Jack want to scream. How could Tess have done this? Knowing of his feelings for her and how badly he had wanted to get back together. Jack didn't want to break up, but Tess apparently did. It had been so hard to go back to just being friends...and for a while there it seemed to work. They had joked around at the beginning of the year, when Egan and him were doing a lip sync battle. But he had overheard Tess talking to Freya and thought she still found him attractive. So he kissed her in the hallway. Except it was just a misunderstanding and apparently that wasn't what she had meant.

So to suddenly have her kiss him, and then turn around and push him away like this with Egan around...well Jack felt like Tess had finally crushed the last remaining pieces of his heart. Still staring at her and not even uttering a word, Jack suddenly pushed himself out of the booth and walked out the door. While he wasn't angry at Egan, as he was sure his best mate was just as clueless as he was, Jack was furious at Tess. He had never thought she could be so....manipulative. That was a Lorin thing to do, not Tess Gorman. She would never have done this to him. Ever. Jack would've bet his own life if someone had told him she had a mean streak to her.

Now he realized that he was wrong, that apparently Tess could be an manipulative little slag. Walking towards the Shrieking Shack, Jack didn't even bother to turn around to see if either his friend or back-stabbing ex friend was following him.

Things had gone from confusing to hectic in what felt like a breath for the Hufflepuff student. The air in the room was considerably different than it had been just moments before -- warmth and comfort had been replaced with a cold disposition laced with tension as distance was intentionally placed between his two best mates. The sixteen year old could only stare on with wide eyes, his mouth agape as Tess physically retracted from the boy she had just been smashing her face against a second before. To say Egan was confused would be an understatement. Was she embarassed that Egan had caught them in the act? It didn't feel that way. This was different. That's when it dawned on Egan that maybe he really was in the wrong here. This was a first for the boy who typically lacked the ability to pick up on social cues.

"I -- " Egan began, his mouth still wide open and his head shaking back and forth between his friends. Before he could finish his thought, Jack, who looked like he had his heart ripped out of his chest, simply got up and walked out the door without another work. Now it really sunk in. Egan had royally messed this one up. Of course Jack was upset. His one chance to get back with the girl of his dreams had been ruined by their perpetual third wheel of a friend.

"Did I get the... wrong... day?" Egan leaned toward Tess, craning his neck to keep an eye on Jack who looked like he was heading for the shrieking shack. "I could've sworn you said today..." He took a sizable gulp from one of the mugs that his friend had left behind in his wake and wiped the foam from his upper lip hastily. "You gonna chase after him, lover girl?" Egan leaned back in his chair smugly. If Tess wasn't, he certainly would. Egan didn't want to have his friend thinking he intentionally crashed their little date, but he didn't want to step on any more toes that he already had for one day. Even Egan was surprised as his ability to put things together to quickly. And to think people thought he was daft when it came to matters of the heart. Egan scoffed, taking another gulp of butterbeer.

Tess had never meant to be so harsh, and certainly didn't mean to get the reaction that she did. She knew the jig was up the moment that Jack got up out of his chair, and her face quickly went from bright red to white as a ghost at the sight of him taking off out the door. This was all of her fault, she was a complete moron. This was the worst idea she'd ever had, and she had had some very, very bad ideas. For example, sneaking into Hufflepuff and telling Egan that she thought he was cute. All she wanted was to see if he would react in a way that would help Tess to understand what he was feeling, but she couldn't understand him. Was he being bitter, or the typical sarcastic jerk that she was used to? It didn't matter, because now Jack was sure to hate her, and she wasn't even sure if he'd figured her out yet.

Her immediate thought was to chase after Jack, but she wouldn't want to if Egan would follow her. But his words were enough to send her over the edge. Lover girl? What the hell was that supposed to mean?

"Shove off, Egan." She spat, and sliding out of the booth, she grabbed her coat and shoved her way out the front door after Jack. If she caught up to him, maybe she could have civil conversation with him. Maybe the cold air would calm him down a little bit, since he looked like he wanted to either rip his own heart out of his chest or rip Tess's out instead. She felt it in the pit of her stomach, like a lump of something so solid it would never go away. When she got out into the snow, Jack was nowhere to be found. She saw him heading towards the shrieking shack, and so Tess headed there as well, hoping that the air would help cool this whole situation off.

"Jack," She called out, waiting to see if he would pop out from around a corner or yell at her from somewhere he was hiding. She knew that he probably didn't want to speak to her, but if he could just tell her what he was feeling, perhaps she could help. She was sure that he couldn't know what was really up her sleeve. That was, unless Egan told him about her calling him cute. If that were the case, she was sure to be in deep shit. What if Jack told Egan that she'd called him attractive as well. What if everyone knew everything, and this was really a trick to get Tess in hot water? Her mind whirled with possibilities, and she figured it would just be best to try to fix it one step at a time.

The snow crunched beneath his feet as Jack headed towards the shack. He figured Egan might follow him, or Tess would if she felt guilty enough. Honestly he would rather talk to Egan. Jack had felt so stupid really, because Egan had told him about Tess thinking he was cute. Than Jack had overheard the girl say the same thing about himself. She just thought all boys were cute apparently. There wasn't one she liked over another. At least he hasn't fallen in love with her. It was just a stupid crush.

Kicking the snow angrily with his feet, Jack moved behind a tree right before the fence to the Shrieking Shack. Sliding against the hard bark, he put his head back and closed his eyes. It didn't take long for a voice to call out his name, a female one. Taking in a deep breath, Jack opened his eyes to see Tess walk by where he was sitting. He could just not say anything and let her keep walking. Tess probably just wanted to rub it in his face that she had got him good. That or she could really feel bad about the situation.

Being the good guy that he is, Jack decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. "If you're here to laugh in my face than I will have to ask you to leave." Jack was done tryin to win Tess back, he decided it was best to move on. They had their fun but now it was over. "Unless you would like to apologize for leading me on when you had told Egan he was cute. The thing I don't understand Tess is who do you find more attractive? Egan or I? Because that stunt you pulled wasn't funny."

Not moving from the tree, Jack looked up at Tess with disappointment mixed with anger shown across his face. He was the type of bloke who wore his heart on his sleeve, which is why he couldn't hide his emotions even if he tried.

When Tess laid eyes on Jack again, her heart fell into her stomach. Jack was one of her best, oldest friends. He had been through a lot, and they had been through a lot together. Some days, she regretted throwing that away and as distraught as he was now, Tess felt it tenfold. She knew how he felt about her. She knew all of the things he would do for her, how he would've stood up for her and protected her and loved her. Now she went and ruined it, just for a petty thrill. But judging by the way that he was looking at her, making her feel small and nose deep in guilt, he would not be getting over it soon. She never knew he'd catch on so fast, and in honesty, she hadn't planned this far ahead. What did she think she would do after she kissed him? Lead him on further, or settle? She hated herself, and by the looks of it, he hated her too.

"Jack," She breathed, turning towards the sound of his voice and stepping closer. She wanted nothing to do with laughing at him, and frankly she was afraid he would laugh at her. He could laugh at how pathetic and stupid she was, and she would certainly let him. He had a right. He should laugh at her. But his next works acted like a blow right to her stomach, and she caught her breath in her throat, realizing that Egan had told Jack exactly what she had said. She thought that he would've kept it a secret, and now the jig was up. Jack knew exactly what was going on, and she shouldn't have struck him to be just as oblivious as her other best friend. She was nervous that she might start crying.

She decided that she wasn't going to answer his question. She was just going to ignore it. To tell Jack anything that was going on in her mind about attractiveness would only confuse him more, she was sure, because Tess wasn't even sure how she felt. Sighing, she choked in her throat, and looked down at him, her eyes connecting with his. The look on his face cut her to the core. "If I could just explain to you what's going on in my head right now, I would." She said, her voice low. She took another step towards the tree and stopped, knowing that if he had ever wanted her to be close to him, that time was long gone. "I can't even make sense of it." She admitted, shaking her head.  Her next words came as a croak, a low whispering sound that was choked and hardly audible. "I'm sorry for hurting you," She said, frowning deeply. "I'm sorry for always hurting you."