I knew you were trouble!
"Lils! Look at this," Lily was pretty sure the entire apartment heard Marlene's laughter as she showed her something on her phone. Lily looked closely at the blonde girl’s phone and saw another post about her and the famous hockey player, James Potter.
“Marlene, it’s not that funny. What would you think if I told you that you look hot with Sirius?” Lily asked proudly, knowing damn well the blonde girl would be disgusted even thinking about it.
Marlene side-eyed her and looked back at her phone. “Okay, okay, but let me read it!” She said while starting to laugh again. “The famous red-haired hockey player, Lily Evans, rejected the golden boy, James Potter AGAIN.” Marlene read the article with a weird voice, making fun of it.
Marlene knew how much Lily hated being named as the girl James Potter was in love with. She did not want to see articles about how Potter was madly in love with her. She wanted to be known for her talent, like hockey. Her team was one of the very few female teams in the world, and she wanted to be recognized for that. But tell that to society…
“Marls, I love you so much, but please shut up.” She begged her blonde friend. Marlene just shook her head swiftly while laughing her lungs out.
---
“Oh my god, I’m so excited for this game,” Emma said with a big smile. Fast Skaters coach, Minerva - Minnie - McGonngal, had just told the girls about their trip to the USA for their big game. The girls had lots of games before, but it was always in Canada; this was their first time having a trip. Going on a trip with the team also meant that they would at least stay here for a week, and that meant they could have lots of fun.
“Well, you have to work hard; it won't be easy to have high scores when you're playing with Ohio State,” said Minerva. Lily could say none of the girls saw her as a real coach. Of course, they couldn’t make it here without her, but she was also a parental figure for the girls. They all had a special connection with her. She truly loved all of them just as they loved her.
“Don’t worry, Minnie, we’ve practiced enough for this game; we won't disappoint you,” said Marlene with a huge smile that illuminated the whole ice. Minerva gave all of them a proud smile and left the rink within seconds.
Marlene and Lily looked at each other, and the same words fell from their lips, “This is going to be amazing!” The girls screamed and continued to practice for their upcoming game, which would change their lives.
---
“Lily,” Alice said, looking dead serious at the green eyes. Lily turned her head to Alice, who was sitting right next to her on the plane. “Marauders will be staying in the same hotel as we do.” Lily’s pupils dilated within seconds.
“What?! Why are they going to be there?” Lily was furious. She was definitely not ready for this, not for the articles about her and Potter. Her talent would be a shadow again.
“Frank told me they are having a game right before ours, in the same arena. Our coaches must have booked the same hotel, and that is the hotel closest to the arena,” said Alice swiftly. Lily liked the way Alice talked so fast, as if the words were running away from her, and she tried to vomit them all before they could do that themselves.
“I’m. Going. To. Fucking. Die.” Lily said as she slammed her head on the seat in front of her. She knew it was going to be hell. It was not really a problem for her actually. James was not a bad guy; she actually thought he was really kind. But she hated being known as his crush and not as a talented hockey player.
That’s why she was going to do everything to avoid everyone except her teammates and her friends. She was going to avoid being seen anywhere James or his teammates were; she wouldn’t even be around her friends if they got seen with them. That was Lily’s plan to avoid everyone.
---
“Evans! Good to see you here!” said the curly-haired boy as he saw the red strands. They had just entered the main hall of the hotel after getting all their things done, as the Marauders were already sitting and chatting around the hotel.
“Not today, Potter, please.” She begged him. She saw an acceptable smile on his face, kind of sad. But she was not trying to be mean or anything; she just wanted some freedom.
Marlene had dragged Lily to the bar as soon as she found her. “What did he say?” She asked excitedly. Marlene kind of knew about Lily’s life more than Lily herself. The red hair was close with everyone on the team, but she had grown up with Marlene, and their other friend Mary, who was kind of on the team without being on the team.
“Nothing much; he just told me it was good to see me here,” Lily answered the question slowly. It was obvious the blonde was waiting for something more exciting, even though she knew it wouldn’t be anything exciting.
“Let’s find the girls,” said Lily as she dragged Marlene back to the main hall, where the whole team was chatting. Some of them were sitting with the Marauders, probably gossiping about other teams, while the others were just hanging with their own team. The Marauders and Fast Skaters had always been kind of close as teams. Knowing they would never have to play towards each other was kind of relaxing for both teams.
In Lily’s opinion, they could easily win if they ever had a game with The Marauders. But the misogyny in this world says no, Lily thought.
While Lily and Marlene were walking to the sofas Alice and Emma were sitting on, Lily felt a sweet liquid on her clothes as she made eye contact with the brown eyes.
“I knew you were trouble!” James could swear he saw Lily’s eyes turn as red as her hair for a second. The red-haired girl stormed out of the main hall, following with her friends as James was trying to apologize. The curly-haired boy kept apologizing until Lily got into her room, and Marlene McKinnon told James to ‘fuck off,’ and James actually did it.