Awwwww, you guys are
so sweet! I'm glad you don't think it sucks. D
I guess this is the last chapter... maybe... I'm not really sure how to make this work...
Claiming the dis: Don't own anything!
----------
"Leesh..."
God, where was the room Jen had reserved? This restaurant was huge! It just kept going back... and back... and back..."
"Alicia."
Alicia dragged George back, scanning for any sign of anyone she knew.
"Alicia!"
She tugged hard on George's wrist, but it wouldn't move. She pulled harder.
"ALICIA!"
She surveyed the restaurant. A strange-hatted elderly woman was pursing her lips disapprovingly. A young couple, probably in their 30s, were giving her a questioning look.
"AHHHLIIIICIAAAA!"
Alicia turned, startled. "What?" she asked. "Stop yelling."
George rolled his eyes. "Finally. I've been trying to get your attention for, like, five minutes!"
Alicia blinked. "Really?"
He sighed. "Where are we going?"
"To find Je-" she stopped herself in time. "To find a table."
"Come on, there's a table over there..." George pointed to her left, at a table near the middle of the restaurant with a flickering candle in the center.
It was exactly something Alicia would like, but she politely replied with a "yup." She figured the only way to distract him was to just confuse him enough so he wouldn't notice he was walking.
They reached the back of the restaurant with a few doors. One marked "Kitchen," one marked "Restrooms," and one with a "private party" sign slung over the door.
"Okay... close your eyes."
George rolled his eyes, but did as he was told. "Why?" he asked. "I hate closing my eyes! There's-"
"SURPRISE!"
George's eyes flew open, and he stood there, looking around. "What? Who's birthday?"
Alicia grinned insanely. "No one's..."
"Then why-" George asked, still confused.
Everyone continued to smile, staring at him. "It's a party for you!"
George's eyes bugged out in disbelief. "Seriously? Why?"
"Yup!" cried Jen, running over. "To say thanks for all the work you did!"
"But I barely did anything!" he protested.
"It helped us a ton, though!" Jen said, giving him a hug.
George was soon surrounded by a group of girls screaming "THANK YOU!" and being hugged within an inch of his life.
-----------
Alicia smiled as she handed the waiter her menu, the last one to order. They'd ordered way too much food, but Jen insisted that they get whatever they wanted.
They chatted over the bread basket, talking about what they were going to do that weekend and such.
Every girl there talked at George, babbling about how glad they were he'd been there, and how sad they were that he wasn't coming back... it made Alicia gag.
She tried to pay attention to the male members of her office, who were talking about Quidditch. She joined in their conversation, telling them she was sure England was going to win, but tuned out as soon as they started arguing about which player was the best.
Alicia was surprised when she started thinking about George. Should she ask him out? Should she not? What would that do?
She did like him, she knew that, but was it just as friends? Or more? They'd started going out after he'd asked her to the Yule Ball, and they'd had so much fun together for awhile. They'd broken up a year later after Quidditch practice, because they realized that they didn't really have anything in common.
But did they now?
She watched George laughing and talking to Kelly, then turning to Joanne, who was desperately trying to get his attention. She smiled.
Wait... where was Destiny?
Oh, right, of course she wasn't there. Jen had invited Destiny, but she said she wasn't coming. And why would she even want to?
Alicia excused herself and headed to the bathroom.
She was washing her hands when there was a tap on her shoulder.
"Destiny?" Alicia asked, turning around. "I thought you weren't coming!"
"I'm not coming for the party. I'm coming to talk to you."
"Okay... hi."
"Are you still going out with George? Because I see you together all the time!"
Alicia sighed, exasperated. "We're good friends, Destiny. We've known each other since we were eleven."
Destiny rolled her eyes. "So are you going out with him or not?"
"No!"
"I don't believe you!"
"Destiny... why do you even care?"
"Because I still like him!" Destiny cried. "He still likes me, too! It's just taking him awhile to figure that out!"
Alicia glared at her. "Do you know why he broke up with you? Because you weren't paying enough attention to him! You flirted with anyone who looked at you, and he was supposed to be your boyfriend!"
Destiny looked taken aback. Alicia sighed. She hadn't meant to sound that mean... but Destiny needed to know.
Destiny recollected herself glare quickly. "Anyway, why are you being so possessive? You don't like him, remember?"
Alicia stopped, about to yell that she didn't like him. But she did. She sighed, calmed herself down.
"Listen, Destiny. You were right. I do like him."
She looked satisfied and horror-struck at the same time. "But you can't-"
Alicia interrupted. "We're not going out!" She pushed hair out of her face. "Look. I've never really liked you because you were so high-maintenance, and you never really liked me because you wanted my job. But you're an... an, um," –Alicia hated to say this- "amazing writer. And I'm an amazing editor."
Destiny folded her arms angrily, but Alicia could tell she was glad to be called amazing.
"I'm not going to fire you, because there would really be no reason to. But if we're going to have to work together, don't you think we should just get along?"
Destiny glared. "No."
Alicia rolled her eyes, exasperated. "We don't have to necessarily like each other! Just be civil, okay?"
"If you think this is going to distract me from George, you're wrong."
"I don't, Destiny. But come on. He likes me now, and I like him. I'm really sorry, but that's just how it is."
Destiny glared. She seemed about to say something, but shut her mouth, turned on her heal, and left.
Alicia smiled faintly. Destiny had surrendered. She hadn't admitted it, but Alicia had won.
----------------
"Bye, everybody!" Alicia hugged each person on her staff, one by one. Jen was last, and she squeezed her extra tight. "You are awesome. I can't believe this worked so well!"
Jen grinned, and Alicia let go. She waved one last time, and turned towards the door. "Bye, George! Thanks again! I'll see you guys soon!"
She walked down the street, too lazy to apparate, and in need of thinking time.
How was she going to deal with the George thing? Why had she told Destiny he liked her?
She didn't know that.
Well, she sort of did, but she wasn't sure. Alicia pulled her hair back into a ponytail, tired of it falling in her face.
"Alicia! Wait up!"
She turned, and there was George running down the street after her.
"Hi," she said. "What's up?"
"Um, nothing, I just left a second ago and thought I'd walk with you."
Not questioning the fact that walking was way out his way, Alicia just nodded. "Cool, thanks."
"No, thank you. I really loved the party, Leesh."
"It was really all Jen," she corrected. "I only helped a little."
"Well, I really did like it," he said.
They walked in silence.
When would this work? Was he going to ask her out? She doubted it, because she'd "misheard" him so many times when he asked. He must think she hated him or something.
Should she ask now? Or would that be weird?
Without thinking, Alicia grabbed his hand. They stopped walking, right in the middle of the sidewalk. "So... George... do you want to go out sometime?"
------------
HALLELUJAH! I'M
SOOOOOOO GLAD IT'S OVER! I was getting bored of it. (I hope you
weren't, but if you were, that's cool, too.)
I've got a few new stories coming up! There's a Teen Titans one, and a Harry Potter one about the Patil twins. Read them!
Thank you soooooo
much to EVERYONE who read and reviewed! I LOVE YOU ALL TO DEATH!