She was stunned - completely, utterly stunned.
Peter lifted his head and stared at her with a little smile that Jillian had no idea what it meant. She opened her mouth, not to say anything, but just because she couldn't think of anything else to do.
Peter put his arm behind his head and bit his lip. "Um,"
Jillian blinked. At least she could do that. Peter seemed to notice the awkward silence (finally) and put his arm down, asking, "Are you okay?"
Jillian snapped. "What on earth did you just do?"
Peter rolled his eyes and answered, "Well, if you hadn't noticed, I kissed you."
Jillian flinched. "Omigosh, I just kissed a Slytherin. Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh." She slid down the wall and touched her lips as if they were no longer a part of her face.
Peter crouched down beside her and grinned, "I guess that was your first kiss, wasn't it?"
Jillian's fist swung out, but he managed to avoid it. "You idiot, I've been invisible for the past fifteen years and you expect someone to just come out and kiss me - me, the shadow of all shadows, the trasparent freak who hides behind her glasses and books, never speaking a word except to a depressed ghost and a librarian. Have you ever wanted to kiss someone like that? Have you ever even wanted to talk to someone like that? Well, let me tell you now, no one else would want to, and no one else does want to. I think - "
And he kissed her again!
This time when he pulled away, he whispered, "Really, do you think you're still invisible, Jillian?"
Jillian coughed and stood up. Tears were coming fast, and she wasn't ever, ever going to let someone see her cry, especially someone who had just kissed her.
Peter stood, too and grabbed her shoulders, "You're not invisible anymore. Can't you understand that? Everyone can see you. You, the real you that you've been hiding behind books and glasses and weird friends."
"My friends aren't weird," she muttered, but he ignored her.
"You've changed for the better. Everyone can see that, and they want to look at you now because of that change. Of course, I would want to kiss you."
Jillian put a hand up. "I haven't changed. It's just this stupid plot thing with Kilicus. I'll go back to the way I was before, and no one will even bother to notice. Please, just go away."
She turned away and walked out the door. When she got out into the hall, she ran, hoping he wouldn't follow her. She really didn't want him to see her cry. But really, who did he think he was, kissing the invisible girl. She wouldn't change that easily; she couldn't change that easily. As soon as this school year was over, he would see her former self and walk away, or walk through her, just like everyone else.
Choking, she ran to Myrtle's bathroom and opened the door to Myrtle's usual moaning. When the door was closed at last, she let out a sob and sank to the floor. Really, why was she crying? She'd just had her frist kiss, and she was acting like it was armageddon or something. What was wrong with her? Did she really hate Peter that much?
Her thoughts stopped at that and she shook her head slowly. No, she didn't hate Peter. In fact, it was probably the other way around, especially after the way she had acted. She hit her forhead and chanted, "Stupid, stupid, stupid," with each blow to the head. No, she didn't hate Peter. Definitely no.
Tears started running slowly down her face and she continued to hit her forehead. She finally stopped and noticed that Myrtle wasn't moaning anymore. She looked up into her face and blinked.
"Well, what do we have here? Jillian? Crying?"
Jillian smiled a little and whispered, "I guess you're a bad influence."
Myrtle sniffed. "I have a reason to moan. I'm dead, you're not."
Jillian blinked and gaped at Myrtle. "You're dead."
Myrtle stuck her tongue out, "Nice of you to notice."
"You haven't changed for, what, fifty, sixty years?"
"Whatever."
"Because you're dead," Jillian said slowly.
Myrtle's eyes were welling up, "Would you stop with the dead thing? I know I'm dead; I have to walk through walls every day, you know." She wailed on the way back to her toilet.
Jillian continued to mutter to herself. "She can't change because she's dead. Dead, but I'm alive. Peter said I can change, he said that's why he kissed me. I'm alive. I'm not a ghost, or invisible. I'm alive. I can change. Everyone can see me because I'm alive. I have a voice; I have a solid form. I'm alive."
Jillian blinked and sat still for a few minutes thinking it over. Alive, change, invisibility, seeing, talking, loving, dying. Suddenly, she laughed, interrupiting Myrtle mid-wail.
Running out of the bathroom, she yelled, "Thank you, Myrtle."
"Any time," she sniffed before diving back into her toilet.
Jillian ran. She could change. She really didn't have to be invisible anymore. She really didn't have to be the ghost of the living. She could change.
"That took me a while to figure out," she muttered to herself as she ran around a corner...
...and right into Professor Kilicus. "Well, hello, miss Jillian. I've been looking for you."
Something hit her from behind and she groaned as the floor swallowed her up. What was going on?
From your beautiful authoress - sorry it took so long, but I don't really have any excuses, just an apology. Most of you probably dropped off this story, but I'll keep writing for those of you who hung on and wanted to find out what happened to Peter and Jillian. I'll update as soon as possible, since it's almost summer vacation, so be patient.