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| | | Jake's NaNoWriMo -- 2023 |  |
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Jake Newbury
Head of Gryffindor
Posts : 1248
Birthday : 1992-08-13
Join date : 2014-11-29
Location : London, England
Job/hobbies : Auror & DADA Professor
| | Subject: Jake's NaNoWriMo -- 2023 Wed Nov 01, 2023 8:37 pm | |
| 1 -- Valentine’s Day
“Promise me... you’ll keep yourself safe, though, Azalea. For me...”
The words still swam in Jake’s head as they had for the days since they had been spoken. He had not wanted to ask Azalea such a question, or to bind her to him with a promise she could not keep, but he had not had much choice in the face of such a threat from the witch’s lips. The idea of losing her...
Jake shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts as he moved through the aisles of the shop. Of course, Jake had completely forgotten it was Valentine’s Day in the commotion of the new year. Where most people had been working on the resolutions, they had given themselves, Jake had been working to try and find a resolution for both Jim and Azalea to work on that would put them back on a level playing field again.
Of course, that was easier said than done.
Azalea could still be found in the middle of the night, out of bed, and crying. He had come home to a house that was different than when he left. An ornament missing, the remains of something broken in the trash can. Something out of place. Conversation would be highly stunted from both sides past a ‘how was your day?,’ or, ‘do you want a drink?’. Despite everything they had been through, the young couple was floundering under the burden of Azalea’s news, but Jake refused to give up.
Tonight, he had decided as he picked out a hamper of fruits that looked fresh, he was going to ensure Azalea understood just how much she meant to him. Tonight, they could sit down and ensure that they had a plan on how to move forwards. No, it was not the stereotypical manner of showing your feelings for your girlfriend that the rest of the world would be consuming, but it was what they needed.
A bottle of wine joined the hamper, and then a second in the basket. Jake then moved towards the kiosk to pay, detouring only to the chocolate aisle to pick up the darkest chocolate bar that the shop had on offer. The flower section made the Quidditch star pause on his way, but the bright blooms were dismissed. Azalea had always disliked flowers, and Valentine’s Day was not going to change her feelings. Jake was about to step forth when he noticed something out of place in the deep reds and soft pinks of the bouquets.
A small cactus looked back at the twenty-year-old. Beside the colourful bouquets, it was not anything special, and even to the untrained herbologist, Jake could tell it had seen better days. He paused, debating the idea in his head before moving closer. Would it offend? Or give Azalea something to put her mind to. To nurture back to health, in the hopes it would push her to do the same? Jake did not hesitate again as he reached forth and brought the cactus to the basket too.
“You’d best hope to God your wife is forgiving.” The cashier said as he scanned the items through. The older man gave a laugh that caught in his throat. Chesty, a smoker’s laugh. “Mine would have me frozen under the deck if I dared give her that.”
Jake only gave a tired smile in reply, he did not have to explain himself to a stranger, but he understood why it would look ridiculous as he watched every other man in the shop scoop up a large bouquet and head to pay.
“Wanna give me your name, just in case you end up dead? I can tell the reporters exactly why she did it!”
“She wouldn’t ever do that to me.” Jake replied, a note of finality in his tone as he scanned his card to make the payment.
“We all say that, until they do.” The cashier replied, coughing heavily before he picked up the receipt and handed it to Jake. “Good luck!”
Jake let out a small laugh at the man’s words as he picked up everything he had bought and headed back towards the parking lot of the store. After checking the coast was clear as he moved towards the end of the parking lot, only the small crack of apparition would have denoted that the young man had been there at all. A short way across town, Jake would appear at the elevator to their apartment. Calling the elevator to him, Jake would check his watch from around the shopping, noting he was going to arrive shortly before what would be their usual dinner time.
Not late, Jake thought to himself with a smile as he reached back to his pocket to retrieve the keys for the door.
“Azalea, I’m home!” Jake would call out from behind the shopping, not thinking much of the fact the hallway was not lit.
No answer returned.
Not taking much notice of that point, Jake kicked off his shoes as the door thudded a little too heavily closed behind him. A muttered sorry would ensue as he hastily kicked them to the side, to be ‘out of the way’ without truly having tried to put them out of the way.
“Azalea?” Jake called, this time noticing that she had not replied to him. Not exactly odd, if Azalea was working in the kitchen, or engrossed in her work, it was not unheard of for the witch not to have been able to hear him, but it did put Jake in to the mode of trying to find her. Placing the gifts down on the table in the hallway, Jake glanced in the kitchen only briefly. Nothing was happening in there, the lights out.
He moved to the lounge, once again finding it deserted and dark.
The bedroom came up short.
The bathroom showed no signs of life.
“Azalea?” Jake tried again as he headed back to the kitchen. Reaching for his phone, Jake checked it for his girlfriend’s presence, but only messages from the team’s WhatsApp group looked back at him. A frown touched his features as he moved towards the fridge that boasted their schedules and who was doing what that day, nothing there showed that Azalea should not be at home right now.
The Quidditch player thumbed through his contacts, finding Azalea’s phone number as he turned back towards the door of the kitchen. About ready to hit the call button, his eyes landed upon a neatly folded piece of paper. His name stared back at him in handwriting far too familiar by this point, and the blood in his veins went cold.
No...
He snatched the paper from the kitchen table, opening a little too harshly than was truly necessary. Fear coursed through his body as he stood frozen in place, the man’s chest barely moved as he held his breath, eyes darting back and forth across the words that terrified him deeply.
Dear Jake,
14th February, 2013
First and foremost, I apologize for this note. I'm sure there are a thousand better ways to say this but not really. I fear saying it in person may break you and myself even further beyond repair than conceivably possible. Of course, for you, that's metaphorically speaking.
I tried Jake, I really, really did. I wanted to go on like nothing had happened, had almost convinced myself that I could ignore the huge gaping hole inside me, fill it with ordinary distractions of day to day. But I can't. I can't just pretend that our relationship hasn't become fundamentally flawed and all because of me. It kills me every day, so much that I wish it would just finish me of in one fell swoop instead of these daily bouts of self-depreciation and the realization that I'm dragging you down with me.
But you were not made to be dragged down, you're here to soar the skies and get the best of everything, and that no longer includes me. In a way, I always knew this would happen, I just never imagined it would be me leaving and not you. But rest in the knowledge that I wish the best for you in life. I know it’s going to hurt at first, I know you'll probably despise me for causing you so much pain, but after all that there will be... something better.
I'm heading back home to Carmel, at least until I finish up the year at my jobs. Afterwords, I think I'm... But that's not important. I've left my keys on the table as I won't be needing them any longer. Everything else of yours is hung neatly in your closet. There's food in the fridge for the next few days and...
Thank you for trying, please know that this came to pass through no fault of your own. Fate has had a thing for me for a while now and these last few years I almost managed to forget that but with the sharp realization, I have no choice but to extricate myself from the situation.
I have one last request of you though I fully realize I'm in no position to make requests but if you can find it in your heart to oblige, please don't attempt to contact me. Don't try to see me, don't write to me, if you see me at schools do not approach me. It is hard enough walking away once; another time might be too much for both of us. I'd say try and forget me but I doubt you could ever forget someone who caused you so much pain and suffering.
With all my heart I wish it could have ended better but I can no longer live the life I've been living for the last few months. We've both changed and I can no longer be the cause of your sorrow. I could live with almost anything but knowing that I make you as unhappy as I've done these past few months.
I hope go you on to find every happiness in life.
Yours,
Azalea________________________________________________~ Auror ~ Profile ~ DADA Professor ~ ~ In a Relationship ~ 36 ~ Father ~ 6' ~ American Accent ~ 
Last edited by Jake Newbury on Fri Nov 03, 2023 6:49 am; edited 1 time in total | |
| | | | Jake Newbury
Head of Gryffindor
Posts : 1248
Birthday : 1992-08-13
Join date : 2014-11-29
Location : London, England
Job/hobbies : Auror & DADA Professor
| | Subject: Re: Jake's NaNoWriMo -- 2023 Fri Nov 03, 2023 6:47 am | |
| 2 – The First Day It screamed in his ear, the sound that woke Jake, startling him from what had been a restless sleep at best, and pretending to sleep in reality. Blearily the man reached around to find the sound, his hand bumping against the coffee table and the edge of the couch with a lack of coordination that was not at all in his usual being.
Fingers that felt numb finally found their purchase on the phone by his head, and he did not look as he hit the green button.
“Azalea?” Jake asked as he put the phone to his ear, hope all too clear in his tone, despite the dryness that it would have been called out with.
“Where are you, man?”
Jake’s brain took a moment to switch off from the hopeful thread it had awoke with to realise that the phone call was not from his girlfriend, but his captain. Disappointment sagged through his being as he lowered the phone and pressed the end call button.
Now, with the bleary eyes slowly clearing, the night came back in to full view.
The letter lay before him on the coffee table.
The smooth single crease that Azalea had put in to the white paper was replaced with the marks of where his hands had held the sides of it far too tightly. It no longer sat up on its edges, but lazed on the table at angles paper should not have been able to usually. Jake’s eyes were glued to it, the offending item still being in existence was not a state of being that he wished for it.
The phone beside him rang again, and Jake, capable of seeing this time, saw Samar’s face lighting up the phone.
He answered.
“Got cut off.”
“I cut you off.”
“I was giving you a way out, man.” Samar replied, letting out a laugh that was clearly faked. When Jake did not reply to that, the Captain of the Moose Jaw Meteorites would continue. “Training started an hour ago, where are you? Is everything alright?”
Jake felt a lump in his throat at the question, trying to work out what to say.
Swallowing the bile, Jake nodded. “Y-eah.” The man lied, struggling with that word. “Azalea forgot to put the alarm on.” Jake lied, looking towards the window, and regretting that decision as the Canadian winter sun glared through at him. “I’ll… I’ll be there in half an hour.”
“Alright, we’ll see you shortly. Send my best to Azalea!”
Samar rang off, and Jake remained stoically on the couch.
He did not remember how he had gotten here. His whole body ached from lack of sleep, and trying to fit his six-foot-tall frame on a couch not made for such things. All he did know, was the white paper before him had not been a dream, it was still extremely real, and the young man did not know how to deal with that. Bringing the phone back before his eyes, Jake unlocked the phone, four messages from Samar asking him where he was, a message from Victoria saying good morning as she always did, but nothing from the witch who had vacated their lives as if it was nothing.
Jake opened their WhatsApp chat, and checked her ‘last online’ status, but the time Azalea had last been seen remained exactly as it had been the last time, he had opened the application.
Are you alright?
Jake typed the message, and then wavered over the send button with uncertainty.
If you can find it in your heart to oblige, please don't attempt to contact me.
Jake erased the message from the line, letting out a sigh. Pressing where Azalea’s name came up, he looked at the profile picture before locking his phone. If she did not wish for him to contact her, he would do his best not to, but Azalea had not asked him not to keep checks on her.
Pushing himself up from the couch, Jake groaned to himself, every muscle in his body was protesting at the move, but he had to do something.
Twenty minutes later, the Moose Jaw’s number seven would enter the training ground. Looking as fresh faced as one could in such a short time. The punishment for being late would force each muscle ache to find a way of leaving his body, to be replaced by the dull ache of a good work out instead. It would give him enough to work with to get through the day, but when Jake arrived home that evening, a cycle would commence in his life that he had not foreseen coming.
He would return home, to an empty house.
He would sit down on the couch with little and less energy left from the day.
The letter would be brought forth from its place on the coffee table, and he would read through the words again and again, trying to understand why Azalea had given up on them when he had made it very clear he was not going to…
The day would be enveloped with the pain of separation that he had not agreed to.
And somewhere along the lines, Jake would fall in to a sleep that never allowed him to fully rest. Tormented with the image of Azalea, and the unknowing of what he could have done better. What would have made her stay…
________________________________________________~ Auror ~ Profile ~ DADA Professor ~ ~ In a Relationship ~ 36 ~ Father ~ 6' ~ American Accent ~ | |
| | | | Jake Newbury
Head of Gryffindor
Posts : 1248
Birthday : 1992-08-13
Join date : 2014-11-29
Location : London, England
Job/hobbies : Auror & DADA Professor
| | Subject: Re: Jake's NaNoWriMo -- 2023 Sun Nov 05, 2023 3:05 pm | |
| 3 – Irony
Azalea would not be around to see the irony of the situation she had left the man in, if she thought that leaving Jake Newbury had been the right way to put him on track, she had sadly been quite mistaken.
“Newbury.”
Jake looked up at his coach, trying his best to suck air in to his lungs that felt like they were dying. A dry wretch had just passed through his system, but there was nothing left to expel anymore.
“You look like shit.”
“Thanks, coach.”
“Wasn’t a compliment. Now, get back in with the rest of the squad.”
Jake gave the man a curt nod, pushing himself away from the stand and trying to put one foot in front of the other. The reason he had stopped was because his vision was swimming, nausea was creeping through the stomach of the man. Since Azalea had left, Jake had barely eaten. Too used to his food being prepared, the man had opened the fridge with trepidation, staring at the food within and finding himself both unable to decide what to eat, and diligently refusing to do so because that would… it would surely mean Azalea would come home.
Thus far, five days in, it had not worked.
His energy levels were lower than they had been in years, mostly due to the fact his body was now attacking itself to try any find anything that would give rise to energy. The body of the sportsman, already lean of any fat, had started to gain energy from the muscles in Jake’s body, the fatigue of the day setting in. If anyone had noticed his lack of appetite, they had not yet commented on it – something that Jake vastly appreciated, because Merlin knew that the boy hated to talk about anything close to emotions.
The training session would continue, Jake flagging entirely too much for the man to be inconspicuous about anything, and headed to the showers with the rest of the team dejected. Things that had been easy to him, not even a week before, were getting harder. Working out, engaging with people… It had been far easier to keep up with everything, but now… everything felt off to him.
“You alright, Jake?”
Samar had caught up with him on the way back to the dressing room.
“Course I am.” The American replied without committing to further explanation.
“Not like you to be at the back of the pack during training.”
“Just a little tired.”
“Right, well, send my best to Azalea. I can’t stop now, gotta get to an event.”
Jake did not bother to reply as the captain diverted from the changing room. Instead, he entered, grabbed his bag, and moved out towards the car park without showering. As he headed out the main gate to the car park, Jake noted someone up ahead, but did not pay them any mind. Instead, he moved towards his own vehicle without a second thought.
“Jake, Jake, a moment of your time, please?”
The voice of the North American sports show that followed Quidditch should have been familiar to Jake, but he could not place it in that moment.
“No.”
“Oh, come on, don’t be like that!” She drawled, and Jake rolled his eyes as he fumbled with the keys to try and get in the car. “Tell me, how do you think Moose Jaw will do this weekend against Stonewall Stormers?”
“Same as we always do.”
“Can you elaborate on what you mean?” The reported prompted.
“No.”
“For your fans out there, what would you like them to look out for in this weekend’s game? Any new plays, anything you think will excite them?”
“No.”
“You don’t think they’ll be excited by your game play?”
“What the fuck do I care what they think?” Jake replied, sharply turning towards the witch. “Just leave me the fuck alone.”
The reporter looked very much taken aback by the comments, and took a half step back as her features tried to school themselves in to something resembling neutrality. Fear shone quite deeply in her eyes, though, quite unused to Jake being like this.
“Well… thank you for your time.” She managed, turning on her heel and hightailing it away from the Quidditch star before he could say anything else. It took too many more moments for Jake to realise that he had been rude, and perhaps a little threatening to the witch, but before he could call out to her, she had disappeared on the spot. With a sigh to himself, Jake yanked the door of the Spider opened, and chucked his bag on to the passenger’s seat before slumping in to the car that had always been too small for his frame.
“Fucking reporters.” Jake muttered to himself as he started the engine. The purr that had once been enjoyable to the man brought forth no such emotions. Instead, he mechanically drove out of the parking lot and out to the highway without another thought for what had happened. The radio may well have not been on for all the good it did, but it rattled out a latest hit from the month. Pharrell Williams’ Happy could not have been a further note from the truth for the man as it jingled in the background.
As the music came to a finish, Jake turned left on to the intersection.
“We bring to you a breaking news story.”
Jake did not hear those words, not at all interested what was going on in the rest of the world.
“Charlotte, you’ve returned to the office in something of a fluster.”
“Yes, Mike, I have.”
“Can you tell me why?”
“Well, I just went to get a post training interview with one of the Moose Jaw Meteorite’s team, ahead of their big clash this weekend.”
“That sounds exciting!”
“You’d have thought so, Mike, but I ran in to Jake Newbury this afternoon.”
“You don’t sound happy about that…”
“Well, I don’t think you would be if you were hurled verbal abuse at.”
Jake turned his attention to the radio, not quite realising he had heard the radio correctly.
“Jake?”
“Yes, he didn’t seem to want to talk to me, but that doesn’t give him the right- “
“No, no, of course not.”
“But he seemed off, today. Usually, we can share a little bit of banter, but today… no, today was not there. He looked drained, almost… unwell. I don’t wish to cast aspersions, of course, but if he makes the team on Saturday night, I would be very surprised- “
“SHUT UP!” Jake shouted, slamming his fist in to the radio.
“Well, I’m not sure about that, he is one of Moose Jaw’s top- “
“SHUT UP!”
Jake’s fist hit the radio again, his vision blurring. A crunch beneath his fist did little to cut out the report going on, though, only breaking the car’s control panel as he pounded it again.
Very unaware the car in front of him had slammed its brakes on.
“SHUT UP!”
“I think it would be a very hard decision for Moose Jaw to drop- “
The crunch of metal on metal would be the last thing Jake really heard as he rear-ended the car in front of him at pace. The air bag the only thing stopping him from going through the front windscreen for the man had neglected his seatbelt in his haste to get home.
________________________________________________~ Auror ~ Profile ~ DADA Professor ~ ~ In a Relationship ~ 36 ~ Father ~ 6' ~ American Accent ~ | |
| | | | Jake Newbury
Head of Gryffindor
Posts : 1248
Birthday : 1992-08-13
Join date : 2014-11-29
Location : London, England
Job/hobbies : Auror & DADA Professor
| | Subject: Re: Jake's NaNoWriMo -- 2023 Sun Nov 05, 2023 6:01 pm | |
| 4 – Pity Party
The steady beep was what brought Jake back to the present. The young man’s eyes did not open as he took in the noises around him. The incessant beep that kept coming through at a steady pace, the sounds of footsteps moving around the room, that felt… larger than anything that would be familiar. Voices swam around him, but none of them that he recognised. Everything felt a little bit too far away in that moment, but also far too close, disorientating the senses.
Something gently tickled around his nose, but the man did not have the energy to lift a hand to swat it away.
Everything felt… heavy.
Especially his eyelids.
“Jake?”
A frown of some description would touch the man’s features – brief in its being as Jake found it much too hard to complete even that simple task.
“Jake. I think he’s coming ‘round. Nurse?”
Shuffling footsteps grew louder around him, but still Jake did not try to figure out why. The words did not offer any kind of explanation to the foggy brain that made itself apparent, Jake did not think anything of it, either as he lazily drew a hand up to his face to knock away that weird feeling by his nose. Uncoordinated fingers found plastic that was unmoving, and then gave up.
“Mr Newbury?”
Jake gave no reply.
“It’s alright, you’re safe. You had an accident, but everything is going to be alright.”
Slowly, the eyes of the man opened, closing almost immediately against the bright lights. He attempted the same task again, with much the same reaction, before the third had images swimming before his eyes. Someone in blue stood before him. A female, but not one he recognised.
“Hello, Mr Newbury, my name is Stephanie, you are at Wigmore Regional Hospital. You were in a car accident, but everything is going to be fine.” The woman explained, quite patiently as Jake looked back at her curiously. “We have tried to get in contact with someone for you, and we managed to get through to Samar. He is here.”
“Which means you’re in the dog house with Drishti, you’ve pulled me away from her Sagai.” Samar said with a laugh.
Neither person’s words truly sank in, Jake simply looking up at the ceiling blankly.
“Are you in any pain?” Stephanie asked.
Jake shook his head, and winced.
“I see he’s going to be brave.” Stephanie commented to Samar who gave a small laugh to humour the nurse.
For another fifteen minutes, Stephanie fussed over the man, checking vitals, making sure he was comfortable, asking if he wanted anything to eat or drink. Jake refused the latter, and waited for the nurse to leave before he turned to Samar.
“I need to get out of here.” Jake said dryly, trying to sit himself up. Samar’s hand came to his chest pushing him back in to the pillows.
“You’re not going anywhere.”
“You don’t unde- “
“Jake, you were in a car accident. How you got out of the mess, I can’t tell you. But you’re staying here, until you’re given a clean bill of health.” Samar replied, firmness in his voice that Jake could not place its reasoning. “What possessed you to drive like an idiot like that? The police- “
“Police?”
“Yes, police were on the scene. They reckon you were twice over the speed limit to do the damage you did. And, asshole, the other people in the car were fine.” Samar explained, and it sank in. The last Jake remembered; he had been driving. Distracted from the road by the radio, and then, nothing. “Unfortunately for you, you ended up here, so you’re going to have to put up with No-Maj remedies until they let you go, but we can get you patched up and back to training in no time.”
Jake found no comfort in those words.
“Azalea’s not picking up her phone. I’ve tried half a dozen times.” Samar continued. “Is she away… or, should I call someone else?”
It was then, and only then that Jake noticed that Samar was not dressed in his usual Western clothing. But, instead in something… well, Jake’s mind supplied Asian, but that was about all he could think of.
“Going somewhere fancy?” Jake asked.
“My sister’s Sagai. Her engagement.”
Guilt flooded Jake’s system in that moment. “I…”
“Of course, you didn’t. Head up your own arse.” Samar replied, laughing to show that he was only teasing. Concern touched his features only a moment later though. “Who should I call, Jake?”
“No-one.”
“You can’t be on your own.”
“Seriously, I’ll be fine.”
“Doctor says differently.”
Jake looked to Samar with an expression of confusion.
“Says your glucose levels were far too low. From his estimations, you haven’t eaten in days.” Samar continued. “You’re on an IV, to get your glucose levels back to where they should be, but you’re going to need some monitoring. So, wanna tell me why you’ve been a stupid prick, and not eaten?”
Jake’s lips stayed almost resolutely closed, his eyes not getting close to looking Samar in the eye.
“Jake, I know you don’t like to create a fuss, or talk about very much. But if there’s something going on, I wanna know. Not as captain of the team, but because I’m your friend. I know there’s got to be something, because you’ve never done something like this. And Azalea- “
“She’s gone.”
Samar looked like he’d been struck dumb in that moment. His features moved from that of one that might laugh, to disbelief, and then back to shock as he tried to process. “Gone?”
Jake nodded to confirm the case.
“Temporarily?”
Jake shook his head.
“Why didn’t you say something?”
Jake opened his mouth, as if he might have an answer to that one, and then closed it. What was he supposed to have said to the boys? ‘Hey guys, my girlfriend’s left me without having a conversation about it.’ No, Jake would not admit that he’d been left to the group as a whole, telling Samar brought a pang to his chest that made him grimace.
“Fine, you don’t have to explain yourself, but tell me that you at least didn’t do this to yourself on purpose.”
Jake’s eyes looked up to Samar’s with the look of surprise his friend had had a moment ago. “I wouldn’t!”
“Alright, alright. I just had to check; you know.”
Jake didn’t respond to that, the whole idea leaving a bad taste in his mouth.
“What about I call your mom?”
“Don’t.”
“Your dad, then?”
“No.”
“Jake, come on. Somone has to help you out.”
“Call Callum, he can get me home, and that’s all I need.”
Samar didn’t exactly look happy with the outcome of his request, but at least Jake had made a decision. Of course, the man before him would not know that the idea of their son being in a car crash like this would have much more violent repercussions than just a car and a few scratches. If they found out about this recklessness… Jake could not even begin to image what his mom would have to say.
Best they did not know.
Which was exactly why, the next afternoon, Callum had arrived to pick him up from the hospital in his own car. Callum had talked excessively about the incident, always much too happy to hear his own voice. His colleague had been easy to get rid of after he had seen Jake through the door.
Which left Jake to wallow in his own self-pity once more.
This time, at least, with wounds that others could see.________________________________________________~ Auror ~ Profile ~ DADA Professor ~ ~ In a Relationship ~ 36 ~ Father ~ 6' ~ American Accent ~ | |
| | | | Jake Newbury
Head of Gryffindor
Posts : 1248
Birthday : 1992-08-13
Join date : 2014-11-29
Location : London, England
Job/hobbies : Auror & DADA Professor
| | Subject: Re: Jake's NaNoWriMo -- 2023 Sun Nov 05, 2023 8:04 pm | |
| 5 – Ground Hog Day(s)
To say it had gotten better since the night in A&E would have been an overwhelming overstatement of the facts. Since getting home from the hospital, there had been only one change, food. Samar had not been lying when he said they were friends, and that he would help. The Moose Jaw captain had turned up, unannounced the day after Jake had gotten home with his sister in tow.
Between the two of them, the siblings had brought three bags of food – leftovers, they had offered, from Drishti’s Sagai. The leftovers had been carefully portioned in to meals, and Drishti had filled the freezer with each meal, and left three in the fridge for him. Samar had also stopped by the grocery store and gotten foods that were not perishable for his breakfast. Whilst not ideal for a sportsman diet, it would do to stop the man from starving himself from this point on.
Neither one of them had mentioned the food that had perished in the fridge from the last week, for which Jake would be eternally grateful, but he knew he had hit rock bottom.
Both Samar and Drishti had made Jake promise to eat, and with his promise tucked away, they had left him to get on with his day.
Jake had managed to eat that evening – a slow process as he experimented with food he had never eaten before, and tastes he had never known existed. It had upset his stomach, having such rich food after days of nothing, but for the first night since he had come home to an empty house, he at least had not gone to bed with an aching in his stomach from hunger.
February had been a lifeless month, with Jake not feeling like doing much at all. He would go to work, put in the bare minimum effort, and then come home. The empty house had been reduced to only three rooms – the kitchen, where he sat to eat his dinner; the bathroom, which he frequented only when necessary; and the master bedroom to sleep.
Each night became a sort of ritual, getting home, eating, showering, getting in to bed, and pulling out his phone. The last had come with the same process each time.
1. Unlock a screen that still bore the picture of Azalea, Victoria and himself grinning back at him.
2. Navigate to WhatsApp.
3. Open Azalea’s chat log.
4. Find the date she had last opened WhatsApp to be the same as the night she had left.
5. Sigh heavily before moving to mindlessly scroll through one social media platform or another to find out what everyone else was getting up to with little to no interest.
March bore no change in Jake’s demeanour to the rest of the world, too. The only evidence that anything in his life was different was the steadily growing, unkept beard. Reporters had commented on that – he had remembered one of the lads from the team mentioning, but Jake had not bothered to comment. What was the point in keeping your beard to a mere stubble when the person you had done that for was no longer here? It was not as if the man was looking in the mirror each morning to check that he did not look like a zombie, so why would anyone else?
The storm of the media would rage about it, though, trying to guess why Jake Newbury suddenly looked so unkept. Questioning why the American superstar had not made the team in one of the season’s biggest games. It raged on, but Jake did not give it the time of day.
The largest blow for Jake was the first Friday of April.
Jake had turned up to training half an hour late. He had pretended it was because his alarm had not gone off, but truthfully, it had been a lack of desire to get out of bed. His alarm had shouted at him on five different occasions to get out of bed before it had been launched across the room, and smashed against the wall. It would have been a miracle for Jake to have picked up after himself, which was precisely why that alarm clock would still be a smashed piece that would greet him when he went home that evening.
As he dropped his bag on the bench, and reached for his pads, their coach entered.
“Don’t bother, Newbury.”
“Coach?”
“If you can’t be on time, then I don’t want you in my squad.”
“But, coach- “
“No, no buts here, lad. You want to be on this team, you damn well fucking earn it. I don’t want anyone thinking they’re above the rest of the lads here, just because they were a hotshot when they arrived. You, you’re a disgrace to this team at the moment. I had such hopes for you, but this attitude, the one you’re showing me right now. It tells me you don’t want to be here.”
Jake looked back at the man, eyes trying to convey that that really was not the case, but failing.
“Go home. We’ll see you on Monday. And for fuck’s sake, have a shave.”
The coach had left without seeing him out the room, and Jake sat frozen in place. Dropped? The feeling did not compute, he had never been dropped from anything in his whole life.
***
It true?
Jake’s screen lit up with the message from Mike. The presumption from his best friend that he would want to talk to him of all people about this was the furthest thing from reality.
That you’ve been dropped?
Jake flicked the message away.
I’m sorry man. Let’s go get a beer?
Jake ignored that message, shaking his head at Mike’s lack of tact.
The phone rang.
“Don’t get the message, huh?”
“Sorry, man. You know when you see news you just don’t wanna believe? That was how I felt when the news came through from Moose Jaw that you’d been dropped. I didn’t think it could be true.”
“Well, it is, so go broadcast that to your adoring public.”
“Funny.”
“Isn’t that what you do?”
“You’re still mad about the Charlotte thing? I told you man, I didn’t know she was going to say that, I thought we might actually have something newsworthy, not just some bitch who had her knickers in a twist because a guy didn’t give her the time of day.”
Jake let out a small snort of derision at that idea. As much of a prick as Mike might have been for sullying his name on live radio like that, he knew his best friend wouldn’t have done the interview had he known what his reporter was going to say.
“Not mad.”
“Then, meet me for a beer, I think I owe you one.”
“Call it three and you’re on the right path to redemption.”
“Three it is, but after that, you’re paying, hot shot.”
“Fat chance.”
Whether Jake had meant paying, or being a hot shot would have been left to the discretion of Mike.
***
“Fuck me, man, you look like a hobo!”
“Fuck off.”
“Here, get this down you.” Mike returned with a grin, passing Jake the first beer of the night. “Seriously, though, have a shave, you’ve just reduced my pussy-pulling power by half.”
Jake gave Mike a playful shove, a smile gracing his lips for the first time in a few months. Bringing the beer up to his lips, Jake chugged half of the beer back in one go, savouring the cold that slid down his throat.
“You reckon Moose Jaw have got a chance tomorrow?”
“What do I care?”
“Still your team?”
Jake only hummed in to his pint, shaking his head a little at the idea. Doubt had crept in, and he did not know what he was going to do if he lost his place with the team. Mike, sensing the topic was not the best of choices, moved on.
“Think it would be good, for your PR, if you sent an apology gift to Charlotte. I know, I know, caught you at the wrong time, blah, blah, blah, but it might help. Since February, you haven’t been doing as well as you used to, and saying sorry – even if you don’t really mean it – will go a long way.” Mike explained.
“That why you brought me here?”
“Course not.”
“Then, let’s not talk shop, yeah?”
Mike understood, downing the rest of his pint, and then turning to the barman and ordering two more.
They were five pints deep when Jake finally told Mike what he had not been able to the last two and a half months. The commentator looked bemused at the notion Jake had lost the hottest girl in their school. Mike had always been somewhat overshadowed by his best friend, but he had his own fair share of ladies, none of which had been good enough to tie him down.
“Well, fuck her. If she didn’t want to stay, why are you so hung up on it?”
Jake did not have an answer for that.
“You know what your problem is? You’ve been stuck on the same one for too long, you’ve forgotten how to put it around. Yeah, sure, it’s sad she left, you thought it was going to be forever. But it wasn’t, so now, the world’s your oyster.” Mike explained, clearly not one to hold women in much high-esteem. Putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder, Mike steered Jake around, before finally pointing to a table at which four girls sat. “There. Take your pick, we’ll get your dick wet, and you’ll be like, Azalea-who?”
The girls had been from out of town – European, though Jake could not remember where they had said they were from – on a holiday in Canada. Why they had picked Moose Jaw was anyone’s guess, but it did not matter. Mike had fed them a story of a heartbreak that sounded much too callous. The beard – which had played to the story – had wooed one of the girls in to his lap as they took way too many shots. Jake was not going to question how it worked as he was pulled back to the hotel the girls were staying at.
Mike had pulled a fiery redhead, and disappeared behind another door, and Jake had been left with a brunette who had little to nothing going for her, except for the heaving bosom that was wound too tightly in a dress that left little to the imagination.
Neither Mike nor Jake had caught the cameras that had followed them, only being stopped when the hotel staff noticed they did not look like hotel guests. They had been chaperoned off the premises, but the damage would be done, with the pictures of both men falling over in the road, or twisted in the arms of the women they had been seen with.
As the door closed behind him, Jake had been ready for the next stage.
Being pressed in to the back of the door brought forth a sign of feeling something that had not been there for weeks now, and the sweetness of the woman’s tongue inside his mouth pressed forth the desire for more. The Quidditch star lifted the woman up from the threshold, lips still interlocked with hers as he fumbled blindly for the bed within. They fell on to, rather than really finding the bed, but that did not matter. Both laughed at the gesture as Jake lifted them back further on the expanse of the mattress.
“You have condom?”
“Uh…”
“I’ve got one.”
Jake nodded, moving back to allow the witch to grab her bag from her behind her. Jake reached forth to beneath the witch’s dress, searching for the panties below that would need to be moved. He found none, but his fingers found instead a slickness that denoted his companion was oh so ready for him. A finding that spurred him on as he slid a digit inside the woman, making her moan softly in return.
A second joined and the heaving bosom of the European pressed in to the dress more. Her hands moved to his pants, fumbling with the belt and the button, his flies slid down easily, and she pressed them down his hips.
As her hands found her boxers, she stopped in her tracks.
“No?” She asked, confused.
Jake had not understood in the first moment, but as she moved to rub him up and down, Jake found the reason for her concern…
“No, yes, yes, definitely.” Jake tried to reassure her, but the first no had only confused the situation further than his lack of erection.
“You don’t want?”
“I do.”
The woman did not seem to understand, or else, had not come across this situation before as she pushed his hand away from between her legs, and moved away from him slightly.
“This… this hasn’t…” Jake tried, but he figured it was perhaps fruitless to try and explain that he was not usually this ill equipped. Instead, the man pushed his boxers down, freeing himself from the restraint. His hand moved to encapsulate the semi he had, pumping at it to try to get it hard.
It did not work.
“You… go.”
“No, no, I want to have sex with you. Please, just give me a minute.”
She looked back at him sceptically, not helping in that moment, as he continued to tug at the erection that would not come.
“Could… you…” Jake started, trying to work out how best to ask the woman to help him out. Perhaps she understood, or perhaps she wanted to save some face in the situation. Whatever the case, she reached out to him, and Jake closed his eyes, trying to concentrate in that moment.
To get hard.
But the only image that came to mind was Azalea.
How he had never had this problem when Azalea was doing it.
How they just seemed to work, with no effort at all.
How, if Azalea were here right now, he would already be deep inside her.
And the world would be right.
“I… I can’t do this…” Stumbling back from the bed, Jake took one glance around the room, before disapparating on the spot.________________________________________________~ Auror ~ Profile ~ DADA Professor ~ ~ In a Relationship ~ 36 ~ Father ~ 6' ~ American Accent ~ | |
| | | | Jake Newbury
Head of Gryffindor
Posts : 1248
Birthday : 1992-08-13
Join date : 2014-11-29
Location : London, England
Job/hobbies : Auror & DADA Professor
| | Subject: Re: Jake's NaNoWriMo -- 2023 Mon Nov 06, 2023 6:44 pm | |
| 6 – Consequences
Returning home had been something. Jake had collided with the hallway wall as he appeared back before the apartment, his breathing laboured as he tried to clear his head. A feat that would not come naturally as he fumbled for his keys to open the front door.
The door was pressed open firmly, knocking the wall behind it with enough force to leave a mark that would not be dealt with. Stumbling in to the apartment he was confronted by the dark chocolate orbs of Azalea.
Not her, of course, but the picture of them together that took pride of place in the hall.
Those eyes, which would usually be warm and smiling as they looked out on the guests to the house looked much more judgemental that evening. Taking in his dishevelled being, the jeans that hung down undone, the boxers that sat low on his hips, lipstick that smudged against his cheek.
She judged it all.
“I’m sorry...” Jake choked out, falling sideways through the bathroom door to avoid the gaze of Azalea’s. The cold tiles were a respite to the heat flooding through his body, only just making it to the toilet in time to hurl up each and every drink he had had that evening.
***
Saturday’s game had been lacklustre at best. Moose Jaw had been seen off by the confirmation as if they were nothing, and Jake had not blamed Callum for catching the Snitch early to save their woes from worsening.
The commentary had been about the only thing that Jake had caught on to, in truth.
The commentators had been questioning his own whereabouts that evening, having not shown up to the stadium the two pundits had decided it relevant to suggest he was too busy elsewhere. Jake had not understood until comments of Friday night had come in to being. The young man had pulled out his phone and searched his own name to find an article that was shaming his actions of heading off with women the night before a match. Mike’s name was nowhere to be seen for having done the same thing, but images of his drunken state, and handsy antics were on clear display for the masses.
Groaning to himself, Jake turned the phone off, and then the game before retreating under the covers. He had not eaten since last night. Still felt extremely queasy, and the last thing he needed was this.
***
Monday came around, and this time Jake had pulled himself out of bed. He had showered, and looked in the mirror at his tired reflection with a sense of disassociation. Jake had forced down some breakfast before apparating to the sports venue. He was ten minutes early this morning, which was a good sign.
Or, should have been.
As Jake moved towards the changing rooms, his name was called out from behind him. The man turned on his heel, a smile pushed on to his features.
“Hey coach, I’m ready- “
“My office, now.”
Jake did not understand why, but he followed the coach without a word, bag still slung over his shoulder.
“What’s this about, coach?” Jake asked, but as he entered the office, he could feel the dread sweep through him. The chairman sat behind the coach’s desk. His agent stood to the side looking morose, and a third person Jake did not know stood beside his agent looking far too serious.
It did not take a genius to work out something big had happened.
“Mr Newbury, take a seat.” The chairman said, and Jake complied, eyes darting from one person to the next in search of an answer. “It’s been brought to our attention that you’ve broken the International Statute of Secrecy.”
“W- What?” Jake asked, his features showing the utter mystification he felt at such a statement. “I haven’t done anyth- “
But as the official looking person stepped forth and laid down a picture of the girl he had been with in the early hours of Saturday morning, it became more apparent why they were all here. Another picture came forth of Jake in the bar with said girl, another showing him entering the hotel in which they had spent little more than fifteen minutes.
“You recognise these pictures?”
“Yes.” Jake answered softly.
“Were you in the hotel room with this girl?”
“Yes.”
“Did you apparate from the room?”
Jake did not reply as he looked up at the man with a plea in his eyes. Surely, he could understand that he had not meant to? That in the drunken stupor of the evening, Jake had made a mistake?
“Did you apparate from the room?”
“I did, but I didn’t realise she- “
“Was a No-Maj.” The official replied, clearly put out by this whole situation. “You’re fortunate that the Estonian Ministry are quite forgiving in this measure. We did enough only to erase her memory of the evening, but otherwise she’s going to be fine.”
“Then...?”
“Well, I can’t just let you off without a warning. Take this as your first, official Ministry warning that we cannot tolerate any more of this wayward behaviour. No-Maj’s should not know of our existence, as it always has been.” With that, the official handed Jake an official letter from the Ministry, and with a final nod to the room, disapparated.
Jake let out a small breath of relief.
“That’s not all.”
Jake looked up.
“Based on the reckless behaviour you’ve exhibited, we’ve all had a talk.” The chairman replied, and Jake’s eyes moved to his agent. “We’re terminating your contract, effective immediately. Your actions are not something we want to promote here at Moose Jaw, your form is off, and your commitment to the team… It’s not good enough anymore, Jake.”
The young man did not utter a word.
“We’ve negotiated terms.” Alan added, looking somewhat sympathetic. “You’ll be paid out of the rest of your contract, which has twenty-six months remaining on it, but at fifty percent of it’s value.”
Jake did not have the capacity to work out how much money that was, but it did not matter.
“You’ll be a free agent, and we we’ll call it a mutual agreement for leaving so that no other team will be pit against signing you.” The chairman continued, but it did not matter what label you put on the end of the contract, you did not just walk away from the Meteorites, they were one of the top teams in North America. The ‘mutual agreement’ would just be a red flag that something had happened.
“We don’t want to draw this out, so if you can sign the papers, we’ll get the money transferred to your account.” The chairman said, an air of finality in his tone as passed Jake a pen.
Numbness filled Jake’s body as he took the object, the contract before him swimming before his eyes. He put a scribble upon the paper that barely resembled his signature, before he was whisked out of the room. Out of the building, and off the grounds of the stadium, without being able to see anyone else.
It was only after the chairman had left, that Alan spoke.
“You may well have just fucked everything good you had.” He told Jake, the brutal honesty one of the main things Jake had always liked about the man who managed almost everything he had to his name.
“I have?” Jake asked, the fact he was only twenty-one years old showing quite clearly in the childlike features that looked back at the stadium. Alan only hummed in reply, his phone already in his hand.
“Can’t do much more than damage control at this point, but I’ll do all I can.”
“Thanks…” Jake replied, his voice cracking slightly at the end.
Reality had dawned on him.
It had felt like he had done much wrong, but the world of Quidditch was a business, it was not a game, and if you did not perform, you would be out on your luck in no time.
“Keep your phone on. I’ll be in touch.”
Alan disappeared from beside him, and once again Jake was left.
Alone.________________________________________________~ Auror ~ Profile ~ DADA Professor ~ ~ In a Relationship ~ 36 ~ Father ~ 6' ~ American Accent ~ | |
| | | | Jake Newbury
Head of Gryffindor
Posts : 1248
Birthday : 1992-08-13
Join date : 2014-11-29
Location : London, England
Job/hobbies : Auror & DADA Professor
| | Subject: Re: Jake's NaNoWriMo -- 2023 Mon Nov 06, 2023 7:51 pm | |
| 7 – Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures
“Mom?”
“Hello darling, everything alright?”
Jake shook his head; despite the fact he could not be seen by his mom back in Eden Prairie. The shaking breath would be enough to alert his mom to that, though.
“Darling, what is it?”
Jake let out a broken sob in to the phone, the tears streaming down his features. He had tried his best, he had really, really tried, but now… he could not hold it together any longer. Everything had come down crashing around him, and there was nowhere else left to turn.
He could hear his mom go still on the other end of the phone. Whatever she had been doing, she had set it aside, providing all her attention to her eldest child.
“Can I come home?”
The words could not have been more than a whisper through the phone, but it had not needed to be anything more than that. For a moment, Alexis Newbury would not say a word, allowing a pause for her son to elaborate on the point should he so wish. But nothing more came from the boy’s side, and so Alexis took it upon herself.
“Of course, you can, will Azalea be coming with you?”
Jake shook his head once more. “No.”
“Okay, I’ll see you shortly, then?” Alexis replied steadily. “Do you know how long you’re coming for?”
Another sound slipped from the man’s lips as he held in the tears.
“That’s alright, Jake, however long you need, you’re always welcome.”
They rang off shortly after, and Jake placed his phone down on the bedside as another sob, and another wracked through his frame.
***
Two hours later, Jake Newbury appeared at the back door of his home in Eden Prairie. The phone with his Canadian number had been left where he had placed it down after calling his mom. A small bag had been packed with the things he had needed. The flat in Moose Jaw had been locked up, the whole system put in holiday mode for the house to keep ticking over, and the keys given to a neighbour to look after whilst he was away.
Entering through the back door, Jake had only to take a step before the all too familiar scent of home flooded through his system. Something was being roasted in the kitchen, the smell making Jake salivate almost instantly. He followed the sounds of movement to the kitchen to find his mom, dropping his bag to the side.
“Hey,” he greeted her tiredly.
“There you are!” Alexis greeted warmly, turning from the stove where she had been stirring something to take in her son. It showed on her features almost instantly that he looked as bad as he felt. “Oh my, you’ve not been eating nearly enough!”
Jake gave off a small laugh, trying to play it off.
“And, what in Merlin’s name is that?” She asked, motioning to the thoroughly unkept beard he sported.
“Mom…” Jake whined, trying his best not to smile, but not being able to help it. This was good, this was familiar. This was safe.
This was home.
As if to prove that point, his mom’s arms had been put around him, pulling his lanky frame into her. Jake rested his head upon her shoulder, despite the fact she was more than half a foot shorter than he was. “It’s going to be alright; I promise. Whatever’s happened, it can be fixed.”
Jake shook his head against her shoulder as he clenched his eyes tightly shut.
“You’re alive, whatever else it is, we can sort it.”
The tears fell from his lashes without permission, and Jake held his mom closer to him in that moment. Despite his height, he felt like a small child, the reassurance that everything would be alright was something he would cling to, because Merlin knew he did not have the energy to believe that any more. But if his mom said it would be alright… somehow… it would be.
“Now,” Alexis started, rubbing his arm. “Get up those stairs, and clean up. You’re not sitting at my table looking like that.”
***
“Have you seen the news?”
Henry Newbury had arrived home just on time, but instead of looking happy to be home, he was red in the face.
“The idiot of a boy!”
“Henry- “
“Have you not seen- “
“Henry, Jake’s home.”
“Dad.”
Henry stopped at the table, taking in his son. The anger he had had seemed to have dissipated on being face to face with the subject of his disappointment, and Jake’s eyes moved down to the cutlery before him.
“What happened?”
“Henry, not now.”
“Not now, he’s just thrown his entire career away.”
“I didn’t mean- “
“You didn’t mean to? Did you even think about your future?”
“What future?”
“Jake.”
“No, mom. Dad’s entitled to his opinion. I obviously chucked it away for no good reason.”
“Well, would you care to tell me what could possibly have possessed you to throw away one of the most promising Quidditch careers? First you flunk Auror training, and now you’ve thrown this away.”
Jake slammed his fist on the table.
“I didn’t throw it away!”
“Then, what?”
“I…” Jake faltered, the anger that had flared within disappearing almost as quickly as it had come. “Lost my way.”
Henry looked to Alexis, confusion on his features. Of all the things he had expected of his son, he had at least expected him to see this through.
“She’s gone.” Alexis mouthed to Henry.
The Newbury head seemed to give in on that, turning his gaze back to his son. Jake did not meet the gaze he was under, instead counting slowly in his head to try to calm himself down.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Henry asked, Jake shrugged. “We could have helped.”
Jake shook his head; he did not need sympathy. “It’s done now.” He managed, the plates of steaming roasted vegetables being put down on the floor. “Nothing I can do to change it.”
That, at least, seemed to be something everyone could agree on as they ate in silence.
Jake had retreated up to his childhood bedroom after he had finished his dinner, not feeling like sitting through an extended awkward silence with the two of them.
But he had not missed his dad’s quick turn to his mom to ask what had happened. Her own hushed reply was not something he caught as he went, but he knew that she would be filling him in on all the details that Jake had divulged to his mom after he had showered.
Perhaps coming home had not been the right idea after all?
Perhaps Canada was where he was supposed to be.
It was only as the hour grew late that anything pulled him away from such thoughts.
“Jake?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I come in?”
“Yeah.”
His mom crossed the room quietly, sitting down on the edge of the bed carefully. She fussed lightly with the comforter in a manner all moms would when their child was feeling under the weather. It might be the end of May, it might have been getting warmer, but that would not stop the motherly instinct from kicking in.
“Your dad’s sorry, for what he said earlier.”
Jake hummed in reply to that, not believing in it for a second.
“He’s just worried for you, it’s a big thing to take in.” Alexis continued, defending her husband whilst trying to comfort her son too. “Just, don’t give up. Azalea… she’s just a girl. I know, you were very fond of her, she was pretty and all the things you young boys want. But there will be other girls. Don’t let her define you.”
Jake did not have a reply to that.
He wanted to defend the witch, but he equally wanted to believe that the hollow in his chest would go away, too.
“I always thought you were too good for her, anyway.” Alexis said with an air of finality in her tone as she gently swept the fringe of his hair to the left of his face. Leaning forward, she would place a kiss to her son’s forehead, like she had when he was a child. “Sleep well, we’ll work it all out in time.”
She left as quietly as she had come, leaving Jake to ponder her words.
I always thought you were too good for her, anyway.
There was only one thing that Jake could think of, but by the time he had uttered them, his mom had gone.
“Why?”________________________________________________~ Auror ~ Profile ~ DADA Professor ~ ~ In a Relationship ~ 36 ~ Father ~ 6' ~ American Accent ~ | |
| | | | Jake Newbury
Head of Gryffindor
Posts : 1248
Birthday : 1992-08-13
Join date : 2014-11-29
Location : London, England
Job/hobbies : Auror & DADA Professor
| | Subject: Re: Jake's NaNoWriMo -- 2023 Wed Nov 08, 2023 7:33 pm | |
| 8 – The Start of Summer
June rolled through without Jake having noticed the time that had gone by. The first week home had seen his dad move from the cold shoulder treatment in to something resembling sympathy for his son. The two men had not spoken about the situation, but something had made the older Newbury soften from his initial comments. Jake knew his mom had said something, but whatever it was had not been discussed with him.
It was the third Monday of the month, and Jake had taken agreed to pick Victoria up from school. The holidays were giving out, and it gave the young man a purpose for the day. Thus far, he had attempted nothing to get back on his feet. Neither having the inclination to do so himself, or an external motivation to do anything, the money that had come through from his terminated contract with the Meteorites would keep him sitting pretty for some time.
Nobody had told Victoria that it would be him that would be picking her up for the summer.
The surprise was one that Jake wanted to keep so that he could have something that would bring some joy in to his life.
No matter how temporary or fleeting it might have been.
Jake had spotted his sister down the street of Greenwitch way before she had spotted him. It was weird, seeing her walking as freely as she was in that moment, decked out in white jean shorts that finished just above her knee, and a pink strappy top that swayed in the light summer breeze. The last time he had seen her was at her second physiotherapy session in December of the previous year, with Azalea.
The thought shook him hard as he watched her continue along her way.
He pushed away the thoughts of Azalea as he straightened up, pulling his hands out of his pockets.
Victoria’s features were schooled in to frown as she spoke, Jake only briefly looking to her left to spot the boy walking beside her. At fifteen, Humphrey Williams had grown much taller than the last time Jake had seen him. Much too lanky, and not fitting in to the growth spurt yet, Humphrey towered over Victoria.
“Humphrey, I’ll text you, I promise, you really don’t have to worry.”
“Yeah, but, you know, I just wanted to make sure.”
“Why wouldn’t I text you?”
“Might get busy?”
“I’ll still text you, silly!” Victoria giggled, shaking her head, but Jake had caught the tone of the boy beside her, and something… just did not sit right.
“Hey Vic,” Jake called out, capturing her attention. The smile that had been on her lips when speaking to her classmate had fully exploded in to a grin at the sound of his voice.
“Jake?” She asked, eyes frantically searching the crowd until she found her brother. There was no sense of doubt as she hurried at him, and threw herself in to her brother’s arms. “Nobody told me you were picking me up! This is so exciting! Is Azalea here?”
The question knocked the wind out of Jake’s chest more than the force of her small frame jumping in to him could have.
“No, she’s not here.” Jake replied. “But we’ll talk about that later, I wanna hear everything about your school life, first!”
Humphrey cleared his throat from behind Victoria.
“Oh, Humphrey, sorry. Jake’s here, so I’ll be heading off with him. Have a great summer, yeah? I’ll ask mom if you can visit when I get home, and let you know!” Victoria had returned her attention to the boy, throwing her arms around his neck. The kiss that she had placed on Humphrey’s lips had thrown Jake a curveball and a half as he waited as a bystander to it.
Humphrey had finally left and Jake had had to bite his tongue from questioning it all.
“Yes,” Victoria had answered once he had taken her trunk from the witch. Jake looked across at his sister, raising a silently questioning eyebrow. “Humphrey and I are together. I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d go in to super-protective older brother mode, and I… well, I guess I wasn’t sure how to tell you.”
Jake shook his head with a small laugh. “You’re growing up?”
“You could say that.” Victoria replied, taking her brother’s hand in a manner that was much more resembling of the younger child he was used to. “But that doesn’t mean that I’m not still your little sister too.”
“Of course not, so, tell me about school?”
“School is amazing, as always!” Victoria replied, smiling up at him as they walked towards the edge of the little village. “The professors gave us mock exams at the end of the year, and I did really well across the subjects. Except for flying, I did terribly at flying.”
Jake chuckled.
“Hey, don’t laugh at me, I have a severe disadvantage of not having been able to do the flying when the rest of my year could!” Victoria shot at her brother, and Jake held his hands up in mock surrender. “But Professor Reid says I may be able to help her as extra-curricular with the creatures next year, if I want to. Humphrey’s a little bit put out by that, but… well…”
In true Victoria nature, she could not say anything bad about anyone, and Jake gave her hand a small squeeze to say it was alright.
“Right, kiddo. Let’s get you home!” Jake said as they moved through the magical limit of the village outside of Greenwitch. “Mom’s excited to see you.”
“I’m not a kid anymore!”
Jake laughed, tucking her in close to him before apparating them back to Eden Prairie.
Another tick in the normality section complete.________________________________________________~ Auror ~ Profile ~ DADA Professor ~ ~ In a Relationship ~ 36 ~ Father ~ 6' ~ American Accent ~ | |
| | | | Jake Newbury
Head of Gryffindor
Posts : 1248
Birthday : 1992-08-13
Join date : 2014-11-29
Location : London, England
Job/hobbies : Auror & DADA Professor
| | Subject: Re: Jake's NaNoWriMo -- 2023 Sun Nov 12, 2023 12:30 pm | |
| 9 – The Media Outlets
Summer had been going through the motions for just over a month and a half since Jake had picked Victoria up from Salem Academy. The first night had been a little tense for the whole family. Victoria had only been fended from the subject of Azalea for a couple of hours when Jake had moved attention to his little sister and what she had been doing, but that had only worked for so long.
“So, is Azalea coming over soon?” Victoria had asked.
Jake’s fork had paused in its movements.
“Let’s not talk about that now,” their mom had replied.
“Why not?” Victoria had asked, looking from her mom to her brother with a confused expression.
“It’s alright,” Jake had reassured his mom, turning his attention to Victoria. “Azalea and I… we broke up.”
Victoria’s features had gone from confused to perplexed, an uncertain smile playing on her lips for a moment as she thought her brother had been joking, before finally she had realised that the saddened expression in Jake’s eyes was quite real. “But, you two were such a good couple!”
“Victoria, that’s enough.” Alexis had gently reprimanded.
The youngest Newbury had looked back to her brother, who’s eyes had returned to his plate, clearly indicating that he had nothing more to say on the matter.
Victoria had not mentioned the name Azalea since, and from there, they had been able to have what Jake would have called a normal summer.
Save for the elephant in the room.
***
Jake had made no personal progress during the summer. With no need for a job, he had not looked for one. He had stayed busy only through the chores his mom had provided him with around the house, or else taking Victoria out to any and every place she had asked him to.
The funk he had found himself in Canada had not lifted, but it had been provided with more distractions in America than he had previously had. Which would have meant he could pretend to be normal, in all respects.
Until the morning’s edition of The Wizarding World News came through to the house. Jake would not usually touch his dad’s newspapers – in his own opinion, why would you bother with such a thing when you could get al the news on your phone, anyway? – but it was only because the newspaper had landed through the letter box upside down that he had paid much attention.
How could you pay little to no attention when your own face looked up at you?
The picture showed Jake’s departure from Moose Jaw’s training facility that had happened just shy of two months ago now. It was a picture that showed him just how far he had fallen. The dishevelled features, the hunched shoulders, and the clear lack of awareness for the surroundings as he finally span out of the picture, and then it reset itself once more was something that Jake found himself all too aware of in that moment.
Picking the newspaper up, Jake had made his way through to the dining room, laying the newspaper down before him, and staring at the content of the article for a moment. None of the words would sit still on the page to start with, a self-awareness that whatever was within was not going to do anything good for him, or the career he had once had.
MISSING QUIDDITCH STAR – THE TRUTH FINALLY TOLD It had been a dreary morning in Canada when the picture shown in this article had been snapped. At that time, no reporter had been aware of what had just taken place in the Moose Jaw Meteorites backroom. Now, however, almost two months on, we have finally had word from both the club, and Jake Newbury’s agent that tells us exactly what has happened behind the scenes.
Many of our readers may remember that we reported in February this year that Newbury’s attitude towards reporters was considered hostile – the female reporter of the time had come away from the meeting shellshocked by the man’s behaviour. The insistence of not having felt safe had been brushed off by many – including Sports Reporter Mike Turnberg. At the time, like we so often do, we wrote the behaviour of the Quidditch star down to a bad morning, and thought nothing more of it.
A few weeks later, both Jake Newbury and Mike Turnberg had been seen out at a bar. Again, many of us wrote this off as nothing out of the ordinary for a young man and his friends. We have all been in a situation where we have had one too many, and then made questionable decisions.
The Quidditch star was photographed going back to a hotel room with a young lady, which many of our readers may have found a little bit out of character for Jake Newbury. The star had never been caught in such acts before, and it would undoubtedly leave many women to wonder if their chances had been squashed of being the next Mrs Newbury.
But, what none of us realised was that all these acts put together would be the demise of the Quidditch star’s career. Moose Jaw – though not portraying this message in their official statement – have severed ties with the Quidditch Star. The off-field antics, coupled with Newbury’s lack of form in current weeks have left them without a choice, but to terminate the contract.
The team have only played two games since the removal of the player, but it seems that this break of contract has done little to help their success on the field – a question to be explored another day.
We managed to catch up with Newbury’s agent, Alan Bosworth, who has explained that he is trying his best to help his client through this tough time, but now, there is not a team looking to sign Newbury. When asked for comments from the player, Bosworth was unable to speak on his client’s behalf.
Pressing for further information, the reporter was able to establish that since the end of May, he has heard nothing from Newbury. So, where has the star of Moose Jaw gone? The promising young talent seems to have fallen foul of his fame, but surely, he would not throw such promise away?
We work hard to get word from Jake, his family, and his friends on this subject, so that we can bring you more.
If you have information, write to us at The Wizarding World News.
“Bastards.” Jake muttered to himself.
“Who are?” Victoria asked, making Jake jump as he looked up. He had not heard her come in to the room.
“No one.” Jake replied, pushing a smile on to his lips, even though he did not feel at all like smiling. Victoria’s eyes moved to the newspaper, clearly not content with her brother’s answer.
“Are you planning to go back?” She asked, tentative in the question.
“I don’t think there’s a place for me there, anymore.” Jake admitted, for the first time speaking about the career that had now been lost. His mom had only reassured him that he would work things out, his dad thought he was stupid for giving up on a done deal, but neither of them truly understood.
“Do you want to?” Victoria asked, moving to his side, and putting an arm around his shoulders as she did.
It was a good question, but not one that Jake had an answer to, honestly.
“I… don’t really know what I want anymore.”
“That’s okay, you know that whatever you pick, I’ll be cheering for you.”
Jake gave a small nod, looking up slightly to his sister. “Thanks,” he managed, softly.
He had forgotten that it had not only been one person who believed in him all this time. There was one other person who believed too.
“Just don’t give up.” Victoria insisted, her pep talk clearly not quite finished. “Whatever happened, and whatever is going to happen in life, you’ll get through it.”
Turning to the witch, Jake pulled her in to a warm embrace. Somehow, despite her young age, Victoria always knew what he needed to hear. It might not be today, or tomorrow, that he found his way, but the belief that he would was enough to make him feel something for the first time in months.
Hope.________________________________________________~ Auror ~ Profile ~ DADA Professor ~ ~ In a Relationship ~ 36 ~ Father ~ 6' ~ American Accent ~ | |
| | | | Jake Newbury
Head of Gryffindor
Posts : 1248
Birthday : 1992-08-13
Join date : 2014-11-29
Location : London, England
Job/hobbies : Auror & DADA Professor
| | Subject: Re: Jake's NaNoWriMo -- 2023 Sun Nov 12, 2023 2:15 pm | |
| 10 – Owl Post Jake’s birthday had come and gone with no celebrations. The young man had not wanted a fuss, and for the most part, his mom and Victoria had complied. The only notion that he had turned twenty-one was the cake that Victoria had baked for the occasion, and iced with his name. Unliked previous years, there had been no show of Quidditch upon the cake, nothing to denote anything the boy found interesting, and he had appreciated that.
There had been presents, but mostly clothes that Jake had needed. New boxers because his previous ones had gone holey. New socks, because Merlin knew that was an easy present to get any man. A new cologne he had not touched yet, and a small hamper of American sweets that he had put in the kitchen for everyone to take what they wanted from. It was not that he was ungrateful for the presents, it was simply that he was still struggling to find a normality.
Another week had gone since then, Humphrey had come for the day, and thankfully gone the same day, too.
The house had been almost quiet that morning when the post had come. Until it was not.
The squeal that had filled the house had had Jake on his feet in an instant. Wand in hand, he had run down the stairs, ready to defend the family home, only to find Victoria crying as she held a letter.
Crying happy tears.
“Jake!” She called out, hurrying over to him and throwing her arms around his neck. Putting his arms around her, he looked over her shoulder to their mom who was beaming.
“What’s happened?” He would ask, looking from his mom back to Victoria. He saw it then, the parchment and the envelope in his sister’s hand. “Your results?”
“Yes!” Victoria exclaimed as she let him go. Victoria would hand him the letter, and look up to him expectantly.
In honesty, Jake had not needed to look down at the piece of paper. He already knew how talented a witch she was, and the grades upon the page would not change his opinion on that. But he would do exactly what he was expected to do, his eyes moving to the sheet of parchment.
Dear Miss Newbury,
Congratulations on your results for your mock exams this summer. Ahead of your O.W.L.s next year, we are quite positive that you will be going on to do amazing things!
Subject Grade
Alchemy Outstanding
Study of Ancient Runes Outstanding
Arithmancy Outstanding
Astronomy Outstanding
Care of Magical Creatures Outstanding
Charms Outstanding
Defence Against the Dark Arts Exceeds Expectations
Divination Outstanding
Herbology Outstanding
History of Magic Outstanding (full marks)
Muggle Studies Outstanding
Potions Outstanding
Transfiguration Outstanding
Based on the results you have received for your mock exams, and the manner in which you conduct yourself at the school, we are please to inform you that you have been selected to serve as Prefect for Wormwood House from September this year.
We are certain that you will continue to be a model for your peers and will take your new responsibilities seriously. Enclosed, please find your Prefects Badge which should be always worn on your school robes.
Congratulations!
Sincerely,
Teagan Finn
Teagan Finn
Headmistress of Salem Academy
Looking up from the parchment, Jake’s face lit up with a smile that he had not felt for months. “Prefect?” Jake asked rhetorically, pulling Victoria back in to a hug and lifting her up as he span her around. “I’m so proud of you, Vic!”
The younger Newbury laugh softly at the notion.
“We’re all really proud of her!” Alexis insisted, moving forward, and bringing them both in to a warm embrace. “We’re proud of both of you.”
On that, Jake very much doubted, but his joy for his little sister would not allow for those kinds of thoughts to fester.
“Well, let’s see it, then!” Jake insisted once the trio had parted, and Victoria held up the pink badge that was marked in clear, golden letters “PREFECT”. Jake’s grin remained in place, reaching out to take the badge from her grasp. It was oh so similar to Jake’s Belladonna Prefect badge from his sixth year, but the pink and gold did not look… well, he was biased, but he was quite adamant the Belladonna green and gold had been the much better combination.
“But, what about my Defence grade?” Victoria asked of them both. “It’s not very good…”
“Vic,” Jake started, shaking his head slightly at the connotation that an Exceeds Expectations was not a good grade. “That’s still really good! You can’t get an Outstanding in everything, now, can you?”
“Why not?”
Jake simply let out another laugh at his sister’s adamance that she could do anything she wanted to.
“If you want, I can help you.” Jake offered, and she relented to the idea that, for now, an Exceeds Expectations was a perfectly fine score.
***
The evening had been spent at a local restaurant in Eden Prairie, celebrating the success of the youngest Newbury and making Prefect. The positivity of the night had been something Jake had fully emersed himself in to, a spark of something had lit within the young man, and though he did not understand what it was, he knew it was there.
They had returned to the Newbury house just before eleven. Victoria had gone up to bed, quite tuckered out from the excitement of the day. Their mom had gone for a bath, leaving the two men downstairs. Jake had gone to the fridge and extracted two beers. They had sat, for a while, in silence, both sipping at the bottles in their hand. Neither man was exactly good at talking, and it was in moments like this that the truth of that statement really shone through.
“Have you thought about what you’re going to do?”
Jake looked up to his dad in that moment, an eyebrow slightly raised at the question.
Henry Newbury sat up a little straighter, putting his drink down on the table beside his armchair. “What you’re going to do. You can’t sit around here indefinitely. It’s no good for you, it’s no good for your mom, and it’s certainly no good for Victoria to see you like this.” The elaboration was enough to knock the wind out of your sails, if you had any there to start with.
Jake’s gaze remained on his dad, and he considered for a moment.
“I’ve had a thought.” Jake admitted slowly, because the fear was still alive within him. Henry gave no reply, just waited. “I thought, perhaps, that I could try for the Auror programme again.”
Henry still said nothing.
“Being a Quidditch player was great, don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed it whilst I was there. But…” Jake hesitated, not sure how to explain the situation. “But, well, I guess I need something that will make me feel like… like I’m contributing something.”
Henry gave a nod.
Jake waited.
“The only trouble is, from what I know, the intake was June. So…” Jake hesitated. “I’ve missed this year’s, I imagine. Unless… Unless there’s someone high up at work that you could possibly ask a favour from?”
Henry reached for his beer once more, bringing it to his lips and taking a long draw from it.
“Your mom won’t like it.” Henry finally spoke, his gaze back on his son. “It’s not something you can half-ass and get away with like you did with your Quidditch career.”
“I know.”
“It’ll be hard work.”
“I appreciate that.”
“Do you think you’re ready for that, after everything that’s happened this year?”
“I think that I need a goal in my life to get past everything that’s happened this year.”
Henry considered that reply before he spoke again.
“I know you loved her, and she’s done a lot for this family.” Henry said, and Jake’s gaze lowered. “Your mom won’t acknowledge it, because she doesn’t want to hurt you, but talking about these things, it’s important.”
It was Jake’s turn to not reply in that moment.
“What I’m saying is, whether you want to talk about it or not, just know that hurting is okay. But hurting to the point where it consumes you, your day-to-day activities, your life. That’s not healthy. If you want to get in to the Auror programme, you must make a decision today. You either reach out to her, and see if there’s anything that can be saved, or you draw a line in the sand, and move on.” Henry explained, a sensitivity that Jake had not seen in his dad before.
“The emotional baggage going in to the programme will only see you fail again. So, you make whatever decision it is, but once it’s made, act on it, and move on.”
Jake understood there, what his dad was trying to say.
“She made it clear; she didn’t want me to contact her. In Azalea’s mind, it would only make it harder for the both of us.” Jake explained, not wanting to think about the stinging words that had been in the letter Azalea had left for him, but still thinking of them anyway. “So…”
“We move on.”
Jake raised his bottle to his lips, and drank deeply from its contents.
“How?” Jake asked, a little rawer than he meant to as he rested the bottle down on his left knee.
“Whatever it takes. Find another woman, throw yourself in to a new project, scream in an empty field until your lungs give out. Whatever works, you just must do it.” Henry replied, as if it were that simple. Jake had heard something similar from Mike, but he did not want to get in to it with his father, so instead he just nodded.
“Good.” Henry said at the agreement, draining his bottle of beer, and getting up.
“I’ll find someone in the office to put in a word for you.”
And with that, the man was gone.________________________________________________~ Auror ~ Profile ~ DADA Professor ~ ~ In a Relationship ~ 36 ~ Father ~ 6' ~ American Accent ~ | |
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