My Summer Vacation,

"Hi!" someone was squealing into the phone. Mae flinched, holding the receiver away from her ear for a moment. "It's Josie!"

"Oh," Mae said, not bothering to put any excitement into her voice. "Hi."

"Hi!" Josie squealed again. "I haven't seen you in, like, ages!"

"Right," Mae said, sitting down on her couch, trying to keep this quick and painless. Talking on the phone to Josie couldn't be that hard. "How are you?"

"Fab," Josie said lightly. "Ben and I broke up for a bit, but I think we're getting back together. It's pretty complicated and I was so upset about it, but then Mary-Beth suggested we go shopping to make me feel better! Isn't that fab?"

"Fab," Mae repeated dully. "So have fun shopping."

"Oh, don't be silly!" Josie shrieked, and Mae flinched again. "You're coming with us! MB's just picked me up, we're coming over to get you!"

"MB?" Mae asked, rolling her eyes. "No, sorry, I'm really busy right now, my mum's really, really sick--"

"No, she's not," Josie said, laughing. "My mum saw her getting the post this morning, so I'm sure she's fine. Oh look, we're pulling into your street!"

Now Mae was panicking. How fast a driver was Mary-Beth? "Okay," she said. "Actually I had plans with--"

"See you in a bit!" Josie squealed, and then all Mae heard was the dial tone. She considered running over to Roger's or Ced's, but that was really just mean. She was a girl; she could survive a shopping trip, couldn't she?

* * *

"Oh, you have to try this on," Mary-Beth giggled, shoving a strapless top at Mae. "It'll look smashing with those cropped khaki things."

"Right," Mae said dully. She'd learned about an hour or so before then that perhaps being passive was the best option. Worst came to worse, she'd get some new clothes out of the experience. "Smashing."

"Oh, and I'm sure you'll look fab in this," Josie said, tossing a bikini to Mae. "We'll have to go to the beach to show it off, of course! I can bring Ben, provided he still isn't acting like a wally. And you can bring Tristan! Fabby!"

"Fabby," Mae repeated as she was pushed into a changing room. "Smashing." She stared down at the heap in her arms. Christ, shopping was hard. She sighed, reaching for the cropped khaki things that Mary-Beth had found for her. She pulled them on, not exactly disliking the way they looked on her. She reached for a coral, strapless shirt and pulled it over her head. She'd never worn anything like it before, but she didn't exactly hate it.

"We're coming in," Josie announced, pushing the dressing room door open. Mae frowned. Why wasn't there a lock on the bloody door? Josie and Mary-Beth crowded in, grinning at Mae and closing the door behind them.

"Oh, that looks great," Mary-Beth cooed. "Smashing, really."

"Great," Josie said, shoving the bikini at Mae. "Now try this on. We'll look away."

Mae rolled her eyes as Josie and Mary-Beth turned around. "I'm having a party this weekend," Mary-Beth announced as Mae struggled to get the top tied on. "You're both invited, naturally."

"Naturally," Josie put in. "Mae should bring Tristan, and that cute Roger she's always talking about. He doesn't have a girlfriend, does he?"

"No," Mae said uncomfortably. "But I don't think he really likes parties."

"Well I'm single," Mary-Beth said lightly, rummaging through Mae's stack of clothes. "Oh, you should try this little skirt on next. That'll look amazing on you. Anyway, you should set me up with him."

"But," Mae stuttered. "He's--he's not really available."

"You and him aren't an item, are you?" Josie asked, turning around and frowning at Mae. "I thought you and he were just friends." She blinked at Mae. "Fab, by the way," she said referring to Mae's bikini.

"Smashing," Mary-Beth said, turning around as well. "You look good in everything, I have to say. Do you fancy him?"

"Yes," Mae admitted, frowning at her reflection. "A lot. I just--I don't know how he feels about me. There's this other girl--"

"Invite her too," Josie said firmly. "We'll size her up for you. Tell you if you've got any competition for this Roger bloke."

"Right," Mary-Beth said, looking determined. "But I can tell you already that she doesn't stand a chance."

Josie nodded. "She doesn't stand a chance," she repeated, and Mae flushed with pleasure. "And just in case she does, well, we'll take you next door for a backup plan."

"Next door?" Mae asked, confused. "What's next door?"

"Lingerie," Mary-Beth said, grinning at Mae in a not entirely comforting way. "Gets them every time."

"Guys--" Mae started, but Josie wouldn't let her finish.

"No need to thanks us," she interrupted. "Just do us a favour and try this little dress on, alright? I'm sure it'll look just fab on you."

* * *

"Thanks guys," Mae said as Mary-Beth screeched to a halt in front of Mae's house. "I had fun." She was surprised to realize that this wasn't entirely a lie. What was happening to her?

"Good," Josie said as Mae climbed out of the car. She grabbed all her bags from the boot of the car, and then watched as Mary-Beth and Josie tore off down the street, the tires squealing in protest. Mae flinched before struggling to carry all her bags up to the house. Then she glanced over at Roger's.

There was a strange car in the drive. Mae frowned, putting down her bags on the porch and leaning against the railing to get a better look. A man came out of Roger's house, waving as he left. Mae blinked as a familiar face waved back from the doorway.

Cho.

Cho glanced over at Mae's house, seeing Mae and waving. Mae waved back cautiously, before taking her bags into the house. She would have to go over and say hello eventually, but she would put it off for as long as possible.

Why hadn't Roger told her that Cho would be coming so soon? Why hadn't he warned her? Why did she have to come at all?

"Hi," Merelie said from the kitchen. "Have fun?"

"It wasn't so bad," Mae said, stumbling into the kitchen. "I bought a load of stuff. Thought you'd be proud."

"Oh, I am," Merelie breathed, peeking into Mae's bags. "Oh, that little skirt probably looks just smashing on you, doesn't it?"

Mae grinned. "Just smashing," she said, shaking her head as she took the things up to her room. She stared at her new purchases, biting her lip. She could change before heading over to Roger's, couldn't she? Just to look a little more... put together?

She pulled on a light blue polo shirt with a pair of khaki shorts, wondering if Roger would notice. Probably not, but maybe a bit of lip-gloss would get him to pay attention?

Wondering when exactly she'd turned into a Josie-Beth, Mae fumbled through her drawers for a tube of lip-gloss. After she'd put it on, she brushed out her hair, frowning into the mirror.

She did think she was good-looking, but she wasn't a girly-girl, like Cho probably was. She wasn't polished or put-together, she wasn't dainty or flirty, and never felt pretty. Why was it so hard for her to be a girl?

Her hair was getting too long, falling straight down past her shoulders. She sighed as she left, wondering how her mother would react if Mae asked to go for a haircut. She'd probably raise Mae's allowance.

Mae didn't bother putting any shoes on, wandering slowly over to Roger's. She liked Cho, but she always felt so insignificant around her. Why did Cho get all Roger's attention?

She pushed open the door, frowning as she heard the telly on in the kitchen. She walked in to see Sylvia slicing up rhubarb, watching Neighbours on the small television she kept on the counter. She glanced up at Mae.

"They're upstairs," she said, smiling. "Oh, don't you look lovely, dear. New clothes?"

"Yes," Mae said, sitting down at the kitchen table. "Can I just stay down here with you for a while?"

"Of course," Sylvia said, smiling. "I can turn this off, if you'd like. It's really just rubbish."

"Oh, no thanks," Mae said, knowing how much Sylvia liked her rubbish. "I don't mind." She sat in silence for a while, propping her elbows up on the table and resting her chin in her hands. She sighed loudly, and Sylvia glanced at her, raising her eyebrows. Mae didn't say anything.

"Mum!" Roger called loudly from upstairs, and Mae jumped, knocking her chair backwards and tumbling to the floor. "Can you bring us up some lemonade?"

Sylvia rolled her eyes at Mae, who was lying sprawled out on the floor. "In a minute!" she called back up to Roger. She put her hands on her hips. "What's going on?" she asked Mae.

"I don't want to see Cho," Mae said, scrambling to her feet and propping the chair back up. "I just--can you not tell them I'm here? Please?"

"Never mind mum!" Roger called back down, and Mae's eyes widened as she heard feet coming down the stairs. "We'll just fetch it ourselves!"

Mae let out a frustrated shriek, slipping on the kitchen floor as she raced for the dining room, glancing around furiously. She raced for the living room, diving behind the couch. She lay, panting, on the floor. She heard Roger and Cho rummaging in the kitchen and chatting with Sylvia. Cho appeared baffled by Neighbours, to which Mae just rolled her eyes. What was the point of being magic if you couldn't watch Australian soap operas? Honestly.

Then Cho and Roger came into the living room, sitting down on the couch Mae was hiding behind. Mae closed her eyes, wondering if she should be covering her ears as well. But then the Josie-Beth side of her took over, and she decided to eavesdrop as well as she could.

"I love your house," Cho said, sighing. Mae stuck her tongue out. "It's so... I don't know. I feel at home here."

Don't feel too at home here, Mae thought dangerously. This is my home.

"Hey," Roger said, his voice low. Mae's breath hitched in her throat. "I don't really know--I mean, you don't have to, but, I don't know, you haven't really seen Ced's room before, have you? I could... I could show you, if you'd like."

"I..." Cho started, but Mae couldn't make out what she said next. "Are you sure it's alright?"

"It's fine," Roger said, and the two of them got up from the couch. Mae didn't budge. "You're sure you're... ready?"

"No," Cho said, and Mae could barely hear her. "But I... I think I'd like to see it." Then they left, leaving Mae to stare up at the ceiling, not moving a muscle.

* * *

"Why didn't we decide to go to the Leaky Cauldron?" Amos asked as they drove into London, Mae in the backseat. "Mae would be able to see it, I arranged the whole thing."

"We'll go eventually," Donna said from the passenger seat. "I just thought it would be nice to take Cho to a muggle pub."

"It's still a pub," Mae complained. "Maybe Cho doesn't eat meat!"

"I've yet to meet a witch who didn't eat meat," Amos said fondly, and Mae felt strangely excluded.

"Maybe I'll stop eating meat then," she said stubbornly, and Donna frowned at her in the rear-view mirror.

"Mae," she said gently. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes," Mae said, sighing. "It's just... it's Cho."

"Oh yes," Amos said, parking the car. The three piled out, heading for the pub across the street. "You're jealous."

"Of course," Mae said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Who wouldn't be? Cho's beautiful."

"So are you," Donna said, pushing the door open. "Now let's go show this Cho who's boss, alright?"

"Okay," Mae said doubtfully as they went over to where Sylvia, George, Roger and Cho were already seated. There were no empty seats near Roger, so Mae ended up sitting down at the far end with George and Amos. The two smiled at her sympathetically.

"Us muggles need to stick together," George said comfortingly, patting Mae's arm. His eyes were soft beneath his bushy eyebrows. "Right?"

"Right," Mae said, smiling back before picking up her menu. She frowned. "Yes, definitely going to give up eating meat." She wrinkled her nose. "I'll just have soup then."

"Okay," Amos said, getting up. "I'll order for us then, alright?" Mae frowned as he left. George raised his eyebrows at her.

"She loved him," George said gently to her. Mae froze, confused. "Cho. She loved Cedric." He shrugged, and Mae could see that his eyes were glassy. "We're in this together. We all lost him." Mae could feel her eyes tearing up. "How would you feel if you lost Roger? That's how she feels."

"Thanks," Mae said, staring down at her plate. She sniffed loudly, trying to keep the tears back.

"Don't hate her," George said, patting her arm again. "She's been through just as much as you have. Please, don't hate her."

Mae shook her head, pushing her hair behind her ears. "I don't," she whispered.

"Cedric saw something in her," George said as Amos came back with their drinks. "He didn't like her just because she was pretty."

The dinner passed quickly, with Amos asking Cho all about Quidditch and schoolwork, Cho asking Mae and George all about the muggle world, and Donna and Sylvia watching Mae carefully. Mae just studied Cho, looking for a hint of what Cedric might have seen in her. She didn't see it, but she thought that she might, with time.

And hell, she had an entire summer ahead of her.

* * *

"We really don't have to go," Mae said from where she was sitting on Roger's bedroom floor. "I mean, if you guys would rather stay here--"

"It sounds fun," Cho said, brushing her hair from where she was sitting on the bed. "I haven't gone to a party in ages."

"It's a muggle party though," Mae pointed out desperately. "I mean, magic parties are probably loads more fun--"

"Mae secretly hates her friends," Roger explained to Cho. "Well, except for this Tristan bloke."

"Shut it," Mae grumbled, glancing down at her rumpled T-shirt and jeans. Cho had been staying with Roger for two nights now, and Mae had been avoiding them both as much as possible. She'd felt obligated to at least invite them to Josie-Beth's party though, hoping that they wouldn't want to go. Now she, Cho and Roger were all getting ready at Roger's. Mae frowned. "Er, I should run home to get changed."

"What were you going to wear?" Cho asked, holding up a small floral shirt. "I was thinking of wearing this. With a skirt."

"Oh," Mae said. She'd just been thinking of changing her shirt, but if that was what Cho was going to wear.... "Probably something like that."

She got up, watching as Roger went through his closet. She stood there for a moment, before rushing out of the room and down the stairs, running across the grass towards the house. She burst into the house, racing up the stairs and into her room, flinging her wardrobe doors open.

She fumbled for some of the knickers Josie and Mary-Beth had picked out for her, pulling them on quickly. She slipped on the coral strapless top and the short skirt she'd bought as well. She didn't feel like her usual self, but she didn't feel bad. She twirled around in the mirror, liking how the pleated skirt fit her. She looked good, and was starting to feel pretty good too.

She was slipping her flip-flops on when she heard a honking in the driveway. She peeked through her curtains to see Tristan's car in her driveway. She grinned. Tristan would make her feel better. She ran downstairs, calling a quick goodbye to Merelie, who was sprawled out on the living room floor, typing furiously on her laptop. Mae dashed out the front door, seeing Roger and Cho just coming out Roger's front door. She dove into the front seat, slamming the door behind her.

"Hi," Tristan said, blinking at her. "You look good."

"Thanks," Mae said, feeling herself calm down. She settled into the seat. "Do me a favour and make Cho fall in love with you?"

"Please," Tristan said, squinting at the approaching pair in the rear-view mirror. "That's kid stuff. Give me a challenge sometime, will you?" He turned to look at her. "But you don't mean it, do you?"

"I guess not," Mae said, as the two got closer to the car. She felt slightly sad at the sight of them. "That'd be pretty cruel, especially after all that's happened." She sighed. "So why'd she have to go and fall for Roger?"

"Maybe she hasn't," Tristan said just before Roger opened one of the side doors. He sat down, sliding over so that Cho could sit down. Mae rolled her eyes.

"Hi," Roger said, reaching forward to shake Tristan's hand. "I'm Roger."

"I've heard all about you," Tristan said, and Mae decided it was a good thing for him to say. "I'm Tristan."

"Cho," the other girl piped up, shaking Tristan's hand as well. "Are you Mae's boyfriend?"

"No," Tristan said over Mae's spluttering. "Poor lass tried, naturally, but I turned her down. Been following me ever since." He shrugged. "Can't seem to shake her off!"

"That wasn't quite how it happened," Mae grumbled. She crossed her legs, praying that Roger was looking at her legs. He just had to be looking at her legs. They drove down the street, Mae staring out the window. Mae could hear the music as soon as they pulled down the street. A song by The Strokes was blasting from Mary-Beth's house, people walking across the lawn and going in the front door. Tristan pulled over to the side of the road, shifting the car into park and turning off the engine. He shrugged at Mae before opening his door. Mae sighed before doing the same.

They all piled out of the car, Tristan shoving his hands into his pockets, Mae walking next to him. She glanced back at Roger and Cho, walking a foot or so behind them. Why couldn't she be the one walking with Roger? They went in the front door, the music pounding. Mary-Beth's house was actually quite posh, and it seemed that her parents were away for the weekend. The perfect setting for a party.

Josie waved at them from where she was draped over Ben, a lanky boy with long dark hair and a cigarette between his lips. Mary-Beth was nowhere to be seen, but Mae didn't think she'd be losing any sleep over it.

"You guys want a drink?" Tristan asked, and the other three nodded. "Beer alright? That's probably all they have."

"That's fine," Roger said, glancing at Mae. "New clothes?"

"Not really," Mae said lightly, enjoying finally having his attention. She glanced at Cho's shirt. "I like your top," she said.

Roger glanced at it as well. "Me too," he said, smiling up at Mae. "I can't seem to see you wearing it though."

"Well you haven't been seeing much of me at all lately," Mae said as Tristan came back with the drinks. "So how would you know?"

There was silence for a moment. Cho was looking at the floor, Tristan was glancing back and forth between Roger and Mae, Roger was looking puzzled, and Mae was looking bashful. She didn't want to be hard on Roger, but it just wasn't fair. Why couldn't he love her? What was so terribly wrong with Mae?

"Who wants to dance?" Mae asked desperately. Cho shrugged, Roger shook his head, and Tristan raised his eyebrows at Mae. She sighed. "Okay, look, we can just leave if you guys want."

"Mae!" Mary-Beth squealed, coming out of nowhere and throwing her arms around Mae. Mae cringed. "I wasn't sure you'd show!"

"We're just leaving," Mae said, but Tristan cut in.

"Hey Mary-Beth," he said in his supposedly sexy way. "Great party."

"Thanks," she said, going into giggle mode. "You want to dance?"

"No thanks," he said, shrugging. "Weren't we about to leave? I know this great little sushi place."

"Oh, we can stay," Cho said quickly. "I haven't been to a party in ages." She glanced around. "Is there somewhere where we can just sit down though?"

"Sure," Mary-Beth said, pointing to a room on the right. "You remember where the conservatory is, right Mae? I don't think there's anyone in there yet."

"Thanks," Mae said, pushing through the crowds towards the conservatory, in back of the house. "We'll just chill in there." She stumbled into the conservatory, glancing around at the plants and stiff furniture. The whole place just screamed stay-at-home mum. Mae was suddenly extremely glad that their house didn't have a conservatory.

"Nice," Cho said, glancing around before plunking down on an over-stuffed sofa. "Comfy."

"Cool," Tristan said, eagerly sitting down next to her. Roger frowned. Mae rolled her eyes. "So you're Cho then, right?"

"Yeah," Cho said, nodding as she glanced around. "I like the music."

"It's J-Kwon," Mae said, trying not to make a face at Tristan. God, she hated J-Kwon. Who wrote a song about getting drunk anyway? "He's alright."

"Got a good beat," Roger said, and Mae struggled to control her facial muscles. She wouldn't laugh. She wouldn't grimace. She could only nod desperately, wondering when she'd lost her best friend to Tipsy. Christ, her life was getting pathetic. "Not bad."

"I miss the Spice Girls," Tristan said idly. He smiled serenely. "God, they were cool, weren't they?"

"Smashing," Mae said quickly, hoping that Cho wouldn't ask who the Spice Girls were. Surely even wizards knew who the Spice Girls were, didn't they? "Don't know how they managed to walk in those bloody boots though. I can walk in heels, but I can't prance around on stage in them."

"Heels aren't that hard to walk in," Cho said lightly, playing with the arm of the sofa. "I had to wear this awful pair to the ball at Christmas though. Lord, they were about a foot tall, weren't they Roger?" She laughed quietly. "I was nearly as tall as Cedric."

"Oh, he wasn't that tall," Mae said, shrugging and pulling at her skirt. What would Ced think of all this, anyway? Why couldn't he be there to give Mae some advice? Why couldn't he just be there at all? "Fuck," she said quietly, looking down at her lap. "I miss him."

"Look," Roger said quickly, and Mae glanced up at him quickly. He wasn't looking at Mae, he was looking at Cho. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Maybe we should just head home."

"We could go out for sushi," Tristan suggested quickly, but Roger didn't let him finish.

"No," he said firmly, getting up. "We're going home. We can walk if you'd rather stay here."

"No way," Tristan said, getting up. "I'll drive."

Mae was looking at Cho. She was just sitting there quietly, playing with the arm of the sofa.

"We had sex," she said suddenly, and Mae blinked at her in horror. "Ced and I. We had sex." She let out a sob, and Mae closed her eyes. "And now he's just gone."

"Come on," Roger said quickly, kneeling down in front of Cho. Mae felt gritty all of a sudden. "We're going home now, alright?" Cho nodded, sobs racking her small frame. Roger didn't hesitate before sweeping her up in his arms and carrying her out through the side door. Mae and Tristan stared at each other for a moment before racing after the other two. Tristan unlocked the car quickly, Roger putting a shaking Cho into the backseat. Mae jumped into the front seat, not wanting to look back. She didn't want to see Roger comforting Cho. She didn't think she'd be able to stomach it. She just listened to the sobs, closing her eyes and pressing her temple against the closed window as Tristan tore down the street, heading for Mae's. As soon as Tristan had the car stopped in front of Roger's, Roger was pulling Cho out of the car and up towards his house. Mae watched them go.

He hadn't even said goodbye.

"Dammit!" she screamed, punching the leather of the seat. Tristan sat quietly next to her. "Dammit," she said again, beginning to sob. She hated Roger for being so fucking concerned about Cho and she hated Cho for having sex with Cedric, and she hated Cedric most of all for leaving her. She hated herself for crying in front of Tristan, but it wasn't really so bad. She brought her legs up and buried her face in her knees, and he stroked her back while she cried, her shoulders shaking with the effort. She didn't feel as embarrassed as she thought she would, rather she got the aching feeling that everything was caving in on her.

Mae didn't know what time it was when she finally got into bed, but she would remember wondering, right before she fell asleep, if Roger was worried about her at all.