Help Me Help Myself

[Delilah Bradford]

It was clear that Delilah was not being a very good friend let alone cousin to Gabriella when she had abandoned her to the wolves so to speak. Why had she started doing this? Was she just that mean of a person? Probably not. There was something else going on here.

It was jealousy. She was envious of Gabriella's life. She always had so many friends, or so it seemed. Delilah had Aiden, that was for sure, and even Maj, but beyond that? She also was bitter that her cousin often treated her like a therapist rather than a friend, always laying her problems on her and then acting like her own problems weren't as big a deal.

Her insecurity led her to start spreading gossip about her friend, and doing this gave her a feeling of power that almost made up for the feelings of guilt she got from talking about Gabby behind her back. But she didn't wand things to be like that...she really didn't, and if she couldn't talk with civility to Gabriella about it, maybe one of her friends could. She just needed somebody to be a go between. She couldn't very well talk to Narcissa about it, or Corbin, or anybody else for that matter. The only person she could really think of that might even begin to understand was Triston. She had looked up her address, and showed up at her apartment. After a bit of hesitation, and biting her lower lip she knocked, sure that she was probably the last person in the world that the woman expected to see

[Triston Astin]

Throwing her hair up in a ponytail, as her hair had curled itself lightly, Triston dashed to answer her door. It was her day off, the office was closed, and Hunter was supposedly coming home early, though she wasn't sure of that or not. Smiling against the air conditioning of her home, the cold on her bare legs and arms, in a tank top and shorts, she answered the door.

Taken aback by the sight of Delilah Bradford at her door she stood for a moment. "Hey, come on in." She said smiling. Flicking her wand so as to put on a pot of coffee. "How are you?" She asked, motioning for the girl to take a seat.

[Delilah Bradford]

She readjusted the dragonhide jacket on her shoulders that she had grown accustomed to wearing, and removed her sunglasses, placing them in her pocket before accepting Triston's invite with a warm smile. As she sat down, she shrugged lightly. The standard answer should be, I'm doing great, thanks for asking, blah, blah and yadda. But was she really? Not really....

"Well truth is, I think I may have made a major mistake, and I didn't really no where else to turn. So here I am"

[Triston Astin]

Setting a cup of steaming cocoa in front of the girl in a mug and sitting in a chair across from her she took a sip frmo her own mug. "So talk to me, what's going on?" Triston asked earnestly. The two had long since passed the ferret issue, thank god, and had become decent friends. That and Triston saw her randomly in different places. It was strange how growing brought people clser.

[Delilah Bradford]

She blew over the cup, and laughed a little, smiling as she spoke "That's what it is....your so easy to talk to. That's why you and Gabby get on so well. Me and her, we had a huge fight. We sort of fell out, okay we really fell out. You know, I always just wanted to give her own space, not to lean on her so much and now it's like I've pushed her away"

[Triston Astin]

Leaning her elbows against the marble countertop she sipped at her drink for a moment. It wasnt the first time she'd been told she was easy to, perhaps that was why she was so good at her job. "Gabby has always needed her own space, even with me." She mused, tilting her head and smiling, setting her mug down and keeping her hands around it. "What'd you fight about if you don't mind me asking?"

[Delilah Bradford]

Satisfied that it was just the right temperature, she took a sip and tossed her hair back over her shoulder "No, I don't mind you asking at all. I mean it's why I came, I needed somebody to talk to, and none of my other friends really could understand why this is such a big deal for me. You know how close me and Gabriella always were" She paused for a moment, searching for the right way to put it, but it was pretty simple really

"She doesn't trust me anymore. She feels like I'm stabbing my family in the back, especially her, by not caring about that whole business that happened at the reunion. That's just the icing on the cake I guess, it goes deeper. Ever since we left school I've barely spent anytime with her. It's always all about Maj Weasley. It's kind of like I traded one life for another"

[Triston Astin]

Taking another sip triston pondered what she'd been told for a moment. It was true they'd all traded one thing for another at some point in the last little while. Who wouldn't in the grown up world. "I suppose...somehow we all have our beliefs. I think with Gabby being pregnant, a step mom, and being thourougly hated by some, she isn't thinking all too clearly about those who care the most." Setting the mug down once more Triston pulled her hair back into a messy bun and tucked a foot underneath her. It was interesting how laid back she was about everything.

"Do you want me to talk to her?" Triston asked concernadly.

[Delilah Bradford]

She took another sip and nodded. She actually hadn't really considered what being pregnant, or taking care of those two teenagers could do to somebody's perspective on things. Sure she was responsible for making sure the Harpies star player didn't make a fool of herself, but that was hardly the same thing at all

"Actually, I'd appreciate that Triston. Tell I realize how selfish I've been. It just dawned on me that in some ways I'm kind of hanging on to the past too much. Do you know why I've always hated Corbin so much? When he got involved with Bella and then Gabriella, it broke up my circle of friends. Well, because I was jealous. Same reason why I used to be bothered with you. I tried to keep her to myself, I didn't like the thought that there were other people she felt more comfortable around then myself."

[Triston Astin]

"High school does that to people. I hear people talk about Hogwarts as if it's super different from muggle high schools, it's not. A bunch of teenagers is a bunch of teenagers regardless of the magic inside. I'll talk to her Lilah, I'm sure we can work this out. After all, we're not too childish now." Triston sipped at her hot cocoa once more. It was interesting talking to a girl that hadn't spoken to her much for awhile.

[Delilah Bradford]

She pulled her knees up to her chest and raised a brow about not being too childish anymore. Maybe not them, but as for herself, well she had her moments, that was for sure

"Er, I should warn you, I did try to dump a butterbeer float over her head"

[Triston Astin]

"Haven't we all done something stupid to each other as of late?" She asked with a laugh. She could only imagine Gabby's face ending up drenched with butterbeer. "Everything will turn out fine. I'm sure." Hoping was different than knowing, Triston knew she had pull, but how much she wasn't sure. Gabby was her best friend next to Hunter and she wasn't going to ruin it. However she knew how close she and Delilah had been, this should be fixed.

[Delilah Bradford]

"Yeah I guess your right" She sipped the cocoa, thoughtfully and added "Your a doll Triston. Thanks for doing this for me. For the first time in forever I find it really hard to talk to my cousin about things"

She ran her hand through her hair, sort of a nervous habit, and took a deep breath, switching gears a little

"So what do you make of that whole business at the reunion. You really think Cassie is out to get us all?" It was interesting to note how she talked about her. She didn't call her Enyo, or Cassandra, or anything like that. Nobody else would of used such a pet name for the woman everyone had branded a lunatic. People didn't really call much mind to it, but the two girls had once been partners in crime, making the whole school puke pink. Had it not of been for the trouble they could of gotten into, it would of been hilarous

[Triston Astin]

Thinking back to school when Cassandra had simply been odd Triston hadn't paid much mind. She'd known that she had gotten on Corbin's last nerve, that was about it. "I think she's dangerous....for a lot of us. But if we're careful we're fine. Those twins are in trouble though." Triston admitted she was worried. That woman wasn't someone to cross anymore. "We're not kids anymore...as I've said...which makes what she's doing no longer a game."

[Delilah Bradford]

"Well I sort of realize that. Part me wishes that she would just kill Bella and the kids and be done with it. I know it's wrong of me to think about it like that, but if this draws out into a war of some sort, then Aiden's going to have to fight. I'm worried about him you know. Being in the position he is, he could be a target" She finished off the cup and sighed heavily. It was obvious she had a lot on her mind. Always had of course. It's how she had earned the moniker "our darling Delilah" Seemed it was pretty obvious to everyone how the girl always felt like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders