The Emancipation of Lav-Lav
Romilda Vane? Romilda Vane!!!
That couldn’t possibly be what he just said.
But he did! AND he pushed me out of the way!
Does he even know her? She’s a fourth year.
Today of all days. The nerve! The audacity!
I think you’re reading way more into this than you should be.
Lavender was pacing in her dormitory near her bed. A fierce mental battle raged inside her head. What started out as a cheery morning had once again been ruined by Ron. She had been planning the entire day, his birthday, for weeks now and he’d dismissed her without so much as a ‘hello’. In fact, he’d said, “Leave me alone.”
At the foot of her bed lay a tattered box and half of the curtains from her four-poster bed. The remnants of her angrily tossing Ron’s present across the room. He was so infuriating, but she couldn’t help feeling the way she did about him. At one time it had seemed that he always knew the right thing to do or say. It was as if he had read some sort of book on how to be the perfect boyfriend. Now however…there was no point in trying to figure out what she had done to annoy him this time. It never really made sense.
Casually flicking her wand, she repaired the curtains and slowly walked over to pick up the box. The corner of it had torn open and a portion of a Chudley Cannons jersey poked out. She had been so excited when the idea of a personalized jersey came to her mind shortly after the Christmas holiday. Poking the edge of a “W” back into the package, she reached under her bed and pulled out some tape and more wrapping paper. She would give him his present later.
The rest of the day seemed to move at an agonizing pace. Half-expecting Ron to show up with an apology, she decided to do what she always did when she felt down, her nails. Before she knew it, she had pulled out her manicure set and whipped up a nice cuticle cream. Feeling rather indecisive, she painted her nails in a gradient shade from teal to light purple. She was so caught up in what she was doing that she moved on to a pedicure and from there decided to deep condition her hair.
Laying across her bed, she flipped through magazines and scarfed down various snacks that she kept in her side table drawer. Crookshanks slank into the room silently, eying her bag of apple cinnamon rice cakes.
“I’m sorry, love,” she said, sweetly patting his head, “I’m pretty sure you can’t have these.”
Unperturbed by facts, Crookshanks meowed defiantly. His wide, yellow eyes pleaded imploringly.
Looking around the room for help and finding none, Lavender resigned.
“Accio cat food,” she said, slightly annoyed.
A small can zipped from under Hermione’s bed and into her hand. She popped it open and plopped its contents into the nearby pet bowl. Crookshanks mewing gratefully, nuzzled against her legs and bounded towards his meal.
What do you do all day? Lavender thought smiling, thinking of Crookshanks chasing butterflies out on the grounds.
“Hey!” said Parvati, appearing in the doorway, “I just heard about Ron, how’s he doing?”
—
Lavender’s heart seemed to fall into the deepest pit of her stomach. Frantically she had grabbed the nearest headwrap and found herself racing through the halls of Hogwarts towards the hospital wing. The mere idea that her boyfriend had been poisoned had made it easy to forget all that had transpired that morning. Panting and out of breath, she arrived at the double doors and peered through the small windows.
As far as she could tell, there seemed to be no shortage of Weasleys at his bedside. She noted the fiery red hair of his brothers, sister, and parents, the dark, untamed hair of his best friend, and the unmistakable cotton candy curls of her roommate, Hermione Granger. Catching the eye and raised eyebrow of Mrs. Weasley, Lavender realized that she had not been formally introduced to Ron’s parents. Concern bore its mark on their faces as they spoke in hushed tones, leaving Lavender unsure of what to do. She internally lamented over a scene she felt she belonged, but was most unwelcome to. A sting, which burned more intensely as she noticed Hermione solemnly holding Ron’s hand. Turning, she made to leave, jumping aside at the vastness of Hagrid’s frame. The gamekeeper quickly strode to the infirmary doors and burst through them, unaware of her presence.
Ron had once again become the talk of the school. News traveled fast throughout Hogwarts and Lavender found herself on the receiving end of everyone’s questions.
How is Ron?
What happened?
Do you think it was You-Know-Who?
What do you mean you don’t know? You’re his girlfriend, aren’t you?
As much as it pained her, “I don’t know” became her frequent answer. She didn’t know how Ron was. She didn’t know what happened exactly. For all she knew, it could’ve been You-Know-Who and she for damn sure didn’t know what her relationship status with Ron was. It was complicated.
She found herself frequently questioning Harry, which was of absolutely no use. He seemed just as clueless about her and Ron’s relationship as she was. She couldn’t bear to bring herself to make idle chit chat with Hermione, even if Ron’s life was on the line, and Ginny looked about as miserable as she felt. According to the gossip grapevine, her relationship with Dean wasn’t looking so great either.
Out of duty, she began to make more time during the day to pop in and sit at Ron’s bedside. She eagerly waited for him to wake but he always seemed to be sleeping when she arrived. Madam Pomfrey gave her taut yet kind smiles as she sat by his side. They felt both reassuring and judgmental. On Wednesday, Lavender found herself being woken gently by Madam Pomfrey. Visiting hours were over. The large platter of food that had been sitting uneaten when she arrived was now only filled with crumbs. Could he have woken up and not alerted her to it? He wouldn’t be that tactless.
After over a week of waiting for any sign of movement from her boyfriend, Lavender was surprised to find an empty bed in the hospital wing early Monday morning. Madam Pomfrey was unable to hide her surprise that Lavender did not know that Ron was being released from her care that day. Instead of dwelling on once again being out of the loop with her boyfriend’s antics, Lavender proceeded to make her way back to the common room.
As she approached the marble staircase, she heard his thunderous voice echoing in the halls and turned around. Ron, who had been talking animatedly, stopped in his tracks and stared guiltily at her. Harry and Hermione bowed their heads and quickly sped past her up the staircase.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were getting out today? And why is she with you?” Lavender heard herself say accusingly.
—
On the other side of empty words and promises, Lavender found herself silently sitting across the breakfast table from Ron, long after the poison scandal. Though she tried to cheer herself up with thoughts like, All couples have rough patches. She knew that this rough patch had gone on far too long. She knew what she had to do.
In preparation for the day’s events, Lavender had spent most of the previous morning investing in self care. Through owl correspondence, she had ordered Queenie’s Quick Braids and scheduled an early hair appointment in Hogsmeade with her stylist friend, Angelina. Two hours and some honey-blonde, waist-length braids later, she left feeling like a new and confident woman. She and Parvati spent the rest of the day in the dormitory wearing face masks, eating chocolate frogs, and looking over her and Ron’s birth charts — something that she promised herself that she would never do.
“Merlin help me,” she sighed as she flopped on the bed and covered her face with a pillow, “I knew it.” Removing the pillow, she examined it for signs of the deep-colored mask.
Parvati hopped slightly as Lavender made contact with the now bouncing bed and gave her a weary smile.
“P, how could I be so dumb?” she said, glancing at her friend.
“You are obviously not the dumb one here.” Parvati said, rolling her eyes at the thought of Ron.
“But, I’ve been — I’ve been CRAZY!” Lavender winced, “I mean…Won-Won?”
At this, Parvati burst into giggles and Lavender couldn’t help joining in. Their sidesplitting laughter engulfed the room and soon they were gasping for air until Lavender, in a wave of heaviness, felt near tears.
“P—” she started, frowning.
“Huh?” Parvati sat up, concern flooding her face.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been a great friend lately,” Lavender said shakily, “I haven’t been around and the whole Ron thing…I’m just…you know?” tears ran down her cheeks.
“No crying,” Parvati said with a slight tremor, ”We’re cool. We’re friends til the end and HE doesn’t deserve them.”
A pinky swear, hair flip, and teal-sparked handshake combination signaled that not only would they be best friends forever, but that all previous acts of friendship treachery were forgiven.
The fun concluded when Hermione entered the dormitory, walking cautiously with her head down. Tossing a pile of books onto her four-poster bed, signaling the return from another early hour visit to the library, she kept her back to them and began rummaging through her trunk silently. Parvati, looking apprehensively at Lavender, signaled that it was time to wash off the masks. She had taken it upon herself to prevent any sort of confrontation between her roommates for several months now.
In the restroom, Lavender found herself face to face with the enchanted vanity mirrors they had, with warm floating lights and each panel showing her face from a different glossy angle.
“Ugh. Show me the truth,” she said aloud, as she waited for the water to warm up.
The mirror slowly began to lose the filter-like quality and gone were the angles of her face, no longer presented from all sides, but staring straight ahead. Expecting the worst, Lavender had shut her eyes tightly. Slowly, she opened one eye at a time, revealing that she had not, in fact, turn into a troll overnight. The truth is, she had spent a lot of time crying over Ron and she was afraid that it showed. After washing off the mask, and a tap of her wand, warm towels appeared in a basket near the mirrors. She gently began to dry her face. With eyes fully covered, she heard a nearby scream.
Amity Orion, a second year, had entered the bathroom only to be confronted with the truth of the size and shape of an extremely large boil on her face that she had acquired from a backfiring liquid in Potions class. She hadn’t had the chance to apply the topical cream given to her by Madam Pomfrey.
“Oh. No!” Parvati shrieked, “I need this mirror to lie to me. At least until I get this mask off.”
She had returned from the toilets to this most unwelcome surprise, completely ignoring the distraught child in the corner. Lavender kindly told the mirror to return to its former enchantment.
By the time they returned from the washroom, fresh faced and no longer traumatized by their features, Hermione had once again left the room. Lavender vowed silently to try to have a conversation with her soon.
—
Warm weather had arrived at Hogwarts, hinting at the rapidly approaching end of term. The sun beckoned students outside to enjoy its warm embrace on this bright and beautiful day. A day that Parvati unfortunately would be missing out on, as she and Padma had already planned to spend the afternoon studying in the library. Lavender thought better of joining them. She had already finished her upcoming assignments and had the sneaking suspicion that Padma wouldn’t be so happy to see her. Parvati had spent a lot more time with her sister and her Ravenclaw friends while Lavender was under the “Weasley spell” as it had been dubbed and rudely laughed about throughout Hogwarts.
Wrapping her hair and securing it into a bun, she made quick work of getting ready for the day. Her skin had a dewy glow reminiscent of a veela thanks to the mask from the day before. Deciding to go with minimal makeup, she chose a nice brown shade for her lips and some eyeliner. By the time Parvati came to the bathroom she was putting on the finishing touches: a bit of Sleakeazy’s for her edges and a sweet pair of crescent moon earrings. A Christmas gift from her thick-headed boyfriend. They had arrived sans note at the foot of her bed Christmas morning. As irritated as she was that he hadn’t given them to her in person, they were admittedly stunning and her favorite gift that she had received this year.
When she arrived at the Great Hall, the place was nearly empty. She missed the early lunch trays but was determined to snag something because she was feeling a bit sick after having survived on a diet of chocolate frogs for the last few days. Not much in the way of veggies, Lavender decided to eat a small bowl of mashed potatoes. She would definitely have to talk to McGonagall about possibly getting the house-elves to include some vegetarian meals.
Slowly drinking her tea, she thought of all the things she would tell Ron. She sighed. I just want to talk. What’s going on? I’ve given you space but enough is enough. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn’t realized that her bowl had disappeared beneath her hovering spoon. Gulping down the last of her tea, she slammed her cup on the table, scaring a group of tiny first years. Ugh, Ron!
Lavender had tried for months to figure out what was going on inside of Ron’s head. Their relationship started rather hot and heavy and was now as frigid as the Hogwarts grounds in winter. She endured the rude comments about her interests, off putting jokes about being smart, and the longing stares in the direction of his two best friends.
Out of desperation, she began to change. No longer talking about Divination, she picked up several books on Quidditch, studying his favorite team, positions, and players. She chose to be his biggest and loudest fan, always encouraging him. Ordering a pair of glasses, she spent far more time in the common room “studying” or appearing to because of him.
One day, everything dawned on her. He didn’t like “smart girls,” just one smart girl in particular. Hermione Jean Granger, brightest witch of her age, and Lavender’s roommate. How had she not seen this before? Though he assured her that this wasn’t the case, Hermione became an invisible impediment within their relationship, a fact which made it all the more easier to treat Hermione with more malice than she deserved; and use her as a distraction from the rift between Lavender and Ron.
Standing, she remembered where she was supposed to be. She took to gathering her belongings and determining to find Ron. Ron. Her stupid, tall, red-headed boyfriend. Taking one last look at her cup, another thought came to her. The tea leaves didn’t look promising.
—
The warm breeze beckoned her outside and she found herself searching the castle grounds for Ron. He had taken to hiding and avoiding her at all costs so she knew that the common room would be the last place to look for him. Well, that or the library. She walked out to the Quidditch pitch, noticing a group of people flying high in the distance. Upon closer inspection, she realized that it was a group of Hufflepuff boys taking turns doing small tricks as they passed around a tiny bean bag, hitting it with the tail end of their brooms.
Near Hagrid’s hut, she saw the gamekeeper walking around the outside of his cabin, openly weeping. She decided it was best to not approach him and give herself the burden of being pleasant company. Knowing Ron and the way he dealt with the emotions of others, it was safe to think he wasn’t there either. Next, the garden patch and the Owlery. No signs of Ron anywhere.
Back in the castle she caught Harry, lurking in the halls of the seventh floor corridor. The Boy Who Lived, while very attractive, seemed almost monk-like in his dating life. Didn’t he realize that he was one of Hogwarts’ most eligible? He didn’t have to be so serious all of the time.
“Hi, Harry,” she said, waving slightly to get his attention.
“Oh. Hi, Lavender,” he said somewhat distractedly.
“You haven’t happened to see Ron anywhere?” she said, raising her eyebrows as she braced for the lie.
“Uh. Yes. He had his Apparition test today, so he’s doing that.” Harry said quickly.
“Oh, I must have forgotten,” she said truthfully, “If you happen to see him…tell him I’m looking for him,” she finished weakly. Harry had already turned and walked briskly down the hall.
“So bloody rude, that one. No wonder they’re friends,” she grumbled to herself.
—
Since there was no point in searching, she decided to head back to the dormitory. At this point, Ron was the least of her worries. Little did he know, he was giving her more time to get into the right headspace for this conversation. She tossed open her trunk and Accio’d her journal, 4 tall white candles, and her favorite book of the moment, Yasmina Hunnicut’s Guide to Teen Relationships.
Quickly eyeing the table of contents, she found the section for “Breakups” page 364.
“‘Keep em, Trap em’ No. ‘Hexes and Warts’, ” she paused, before mumbling to herself, “No.”
But that didn’t stop her from folding the corner of the page. Just in case.
“Hmm….’Forgive and Forget’?” she said as she cautiously began reading the page.
“Sometimes we find ourselves in a relationship where we begin to seek the end. Though we once felt love that was so powerful that it eclipsed every amount of sense that we have developed in our lives, the flame has dimmed. Where there was a spark lie dying embers of the romance that once was. We begin to doubt not only our partners, but our own minds. If you are now finding yourself in this place, welcome. You are among the many who have felt this way before. Above all, most people that find themselves in this predicament seek a peaceful end as they transition into a new life. Below, you will see how to do this.
Ingredients:
Paper
Quill
Lemon
Water
Candles
A small bowl
A photo of your partner
Your favorite uplifting song
Lavender glanced quickly around the room, spying a small photo she had placed on her nightstand of her giving Ron a peck on his extremely red cheek. Sighing, she folded it in half and tore it straight down the middle, removing herself from it. With a quick flick of the wand, she turned on the nearby radio, the sounds of the BSU playlist CD that Lee had given everyone a copy of playing low in the background. She lit the candles and continued reading.
1. Using a piece of paper and quill, write down 5 things that you like about your current relationship, if you can.
Quickly, she ripped out a sheet of her pink, strawberry-scented journal paper and smoothed it out before her. Her favorite sparkly quill with self-filling glitter ink found its way to her hand.
“Hmm…maybe I’ll come back to that question later,” she thought.
2. Write down 5 things that you dislike about your current relationship.
“Now that I can do,” she thought. Quickly she began to scrawl all of her resentments on the sheet of paper only stopping when she realized that she had gone way over the 5 limit and her wrist began to hurt.
3. What pieces of yourself do you feel like you have given up to be in this relationship?
“Ouch, Yasmina,” she said aloud as she began writing, thinking of her actions toward Parvati and Hermione this year.
4. Take a moment to forgive yourself for everything that you have written in step 3. If you have wished ill towards anyone, send them light.
Though it felt dumb, Lavender sat meditatively, going over everything on her list. She had to admit that she felt much lighter when she opened her eyes a few minutes later.
5. Rip the paper into small pieces and place them in the bowl along with the photograph of your partner. Using the candle, light the contents of the bowl on fire.
6. Extinguish the flame by using the spell “versus amor nullum umbra.”
7. Add the juice of the lemon and half of a bottle of water to the bowl. Drink the contents.
“Excuse me?” Lavender thought to herself in disgust.
Her desire to rid herself of her feelings for Ron overrode the sick feeling that had come up from reading the last line. Quickly, she flipped the paper over and stared for a moment. Though she couldn’t think of 5 things, she found herself writing, I have been able to experience my first love. With a sigh she placed Ron’s face in the bowl and began ripping the paper into small pieces. In a last minute decision, she ripped up and added the parchment of Ron’s birth chart. The candle flame quickly spread over the contents of the bowl and decreased in size. Waving her wand she completed the spell, which had the effect of turning the burning flame purple and extinguishing with a slight pop. Upon adding the lemon and water, the ashes turned from dark to a brilliant light yellow color. She drank from the bowl, surprised by the sweetness of the liquid. The ashes had turned to lemonade.
—
With a renewed sense of self she set about looking for her soon to be ex-boyfriend, Ronald Bilius Weasley. Unfortunately for her and a few spectators in the common room, she didn’t have to look far. Ron and Hermione were in deep conversation, exiting the boys’ dormitory.
Lavender felt months of relationship tension rise from deep within her. A fire as furious as the sun burned from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.
“What were you doing up there with her?” shrieked Lavender.
Her words echoed loudly off the walls of the room. She hadn’t meant to sound as upset as she was and felt betrayed by her own voice. Hermione, sensing danger, politely excused herself and exited with surprising speed for someone with absolutely no athletic ability. It was quite impressive and Lavender felt torn between wanting to chase after her and wanting to slap off the dumb look that had taken over Ron’s face.
Ron, sputtering, turned beat red and grabbed at the back of his neck. He had no solid word coming from his babbling mouth. A few of their classmates began to snicker. The room was filled with onlookers who had heard Lavender’s outburst.
Becoming aware of all of the eyes on them, Lavender felt a sense of relief when she saw Ginny and Dean bickering as they came through the portrait hole. She bolted from the room past them, eyes blurred by tears.
“Lav! Lav!” she heard as loud footsteps approached her from behind. She honestly hadn’t expected him to follow. Turning slowly with arms crossed in front of her, she looked up at Ron.
“Hey,” he said breathing hard, “It’s not what you think.”
“And what am I thinking right now, Ron?” she said angrily.
Noting the edge in her voice, he backed away slowly. “I wasn’t alone with Hermione up there. Harry was with us but he had just left.” He said, wincing at the last few words.
“It’s not about Hermione, Ron!” she snapped, “It’s about YOU being a disrespectful little toad! I hear what people say about me, I’m not an idiot!”
Ron didn’t say anything, his silence goading her into shouting even further.
“Under the bloody ‘Weasley Spell’! A total nutter! Attached to you like a flabbergasted leech! And a lot of help you were, defending my honor and all!” she raged, “I was even made fun of by Myrtle of all people—”
“Well, she’s not really a person,” he said, interrupting her with a slight chuckle.
Lavender narrowed her eyes murderously.
“I’m sorry.” He said cautiously. “Really.”
Now that her feelings were hanging in the open, she remembered the taste of the sweet lemonade that had made her feel so much better only minutes before. Her expression softened.
“I’ve never really done this before,” he said, indicating the space between them.
“Well, you’re awful at it. Just awful,” she said, bursting into laughter. Tugging at the sleeve of her jumper, she dabbed at the tears in the corner of her eyes.
Ron wore a look of confusion on his face, unsure of whether to join in the laughter or not. She rose up on the tips of her toes and gently pushed back a strand of Ron’s hair.
“You know that we’re done, right?” she said as she placed her heels back on the ground.
“I suppose.” he said, shrugging and staring at his trainers.
“You weren’t the worst.” she said adding, “At first!” Because it had to sting just a little.
“I know that you probably hate me now—” he started.
“Actually, I don’t. What I hate is how I allowed you to treat me.” she said confidently, adding, “And the way I treated my friends.”
“I deserve that,” he said tight lipped.
“You deserve worse, to be honest.” She sighed. “Just do me a favor. Give me time to have a conversation with Hermione before you two start up anything.”
“Wh-What?!” he stammered, turning red once more.
Rolling her eyes, she turned and strolled toward the Astronomy Tower, making sure to glance over her shoulder back at Ron and exaggerate the sway of her hips a little.
—
She had arrived at the dormitory around midnight with a hall pass from Professor Trelawney. Because of the argument, she had found herself walking in the direction of her favorite professor’s classroom after breaking up with Ron. The kindly teacher sensed that she had just had some sort of “metamorphosis” and talked her into staying for a cup of tea. She read her fortune wide eyed and dramatically. And unfortunately, told Lavender that her future wasn’t looking too great. The one thing that she really didn’t want to hear at the moment. Trelawney’s predictions, though wonderfully accurate to Lavender, had not been this tragic since the presaged death of her poor rabbit, Binky. The glum news diminished the feeling of power and freedom she had felt after speaking with Ron. She cut the evening short, reminding the professor of the curfew that was quickly approaching.
When she got to her room Parvati was just getting into bed and Hermione was fast asleep, or pretending to be with her curtains drawn.
Parvati had heard about the “freak out” in the common room and wanted all of the details. Whispering, Lavender promised to fill her in as soon as possible. She got ready for bed quickly, and with pajamas and a headscarf on, she dived deep into her covers, slightly cracking her window for a cool breeze. Sleep came easily and she drifted off.
—
The next morning arrived much sooner than anticipated. Lavender shot up at the sound of her alarm and in one swift motion chopped at the clock and its offending noise. She looked over at Parvati still sound asleep, snoring slightly, and mouth wide open. Giggling, she turned her attention to Hermione’s bed, which lay unoccupied and made up tight and neatly. She never let the house-elves do it.
Lavender tried to think of the next time that she would see Hermione. She, like Ron, had taken to avoiding Lavender, ducking her in the hallways and mysteriously spending less time in the common room and dormitory. They had Charms today, which was a promising sign. Hopefully, she’d be able to corner her for a quick chat so she didn’t feel the need to melt out of the room every time Lavender was around.
In Charms, Lavender mostly paid attention to the lesson. Flitwick, one of the most engaging teachers in the school, went about the lesson in a dramatic and grand fashion. That was until Ron decided to make it snow. Cold flecks of snow fell on Lavender’s textbook and notes, making the ink run. She found herself glaring in his direction only to come eye to eye with Hermione, who was holding his wrist at the time. Hermione snapped back around in her seat, avoiding eye contact. Deep in frustration, Lavender tried to mouth apologies, but Hermione was determined to not look at her. She stared, back straight, in the direction of her two desk mates.
A giant piece of snow found its way directly in Lavender’s eye, causing her shock. She released a noise that sounded like blubbering and terror. Blinking frantically, the snow melted down her cheek, smearing her eye liner. A “disappointing turn of events,” foretold Professor Trelawney. Now the entire table of Ron, Harry, and Hermione were looking at her with confused faces tinged with a hint of pity.
Faking illness, she asked Professor Flitwick to be excused. She left class feeling a lot more noticeable then she had intended to be. After the stink eye debacle and snow tears she decided to try and talk to Hermione another time. It wasn’t worth it and she was tired. The lure of her room was strong and hiding under the covers sounded wonderful.
As she approached the portrait of the Fat Lady, she was ready to be done for the day.
“What happened to you?” the Fat Lady said with a smirk on her face.
“Ugh. Not you too.” said Lavender.
Before she could give the password. The portrait sprang forward as Dean and Seamus climbed through.
“Hey! You got them.” Seamus said beaming.
“Got what?” Lavender said confused.
“The earrings, silly. I sent them to you on Christmas holiday,” Seamus said, smile fading.
“You got me these?” she asked, tugging at the crescent earrings.
“Yeah. I remembered that you said that crescent moons were your favorite and I made a joke about bread rolls at the Yule Ball,” he said with a slight chuckle.
“That is so sweet.” she said remembering. “There was no note with the package. I didn’t know who they were from.”
“Bloody owls,” he said with a frown. “Well, they suit you.” Winking, he followed Dean across the landing and down the stairs.
She followed him with her eyes. Seamus seemed much taller this year.
Maybe all boys aren’t so bad, thought Lavender as she climbed through the portrait hole and made her way to her room. Flicking her wand, the BSU playlist started again, this time an oldie from Celestina Warbeck. She flopped on the bed as a big band began to play.
“I ain’t got time for you, baby.
You don’t treat me right.
I think it’s time that I shake you off, darlin’.
I need my peace of mind.
Shake. Shake. Shake. Shake.
It’s time to shake you off.
Shake. Shake. Shake. Shake.
I love me more than I love you.”
As the drums kicked in, she began humming the words. Lavender decided she had to tell Des how cool her grandmother was. Tomorrow was another day. She’d handle everything then.
