Cherry and Donovan
Cherry Snow-Pitch and Donovan Bunce were always destined to be best friends, and their parents were certain of it. For quite some time, they were, and it was a childish yet unbreakable bond that kept the two of them up together, watching Doctor Who reruns and devouring sour cherry scones late into the night.
It was at age eleven that all of this changed. It was only the beginning of Cherry and Donovan’s introduction into the hell hole of magickal politics, but it was enough to push them apart bit by bit. While Cherry sank into a bottomless pit of homework, cello sonatas, and concerned glances from other students that she didn’t quite understand, Donovan drifted off to a land of astronomy and friends who laughed at his shitty puns. Phrases like “Why do you hang out with her?” and “She’s a mixed-breed, you know that, right?” were confusing and usually ignored, but not misunderstood. Donovan was clever enough to figure out that Cherry’s seemingly non-existent biological parents and her extremely gay, not entirely human adoptive parents didn’t earn her any popularity points. If anything, they established a “guilty-by-association” bubble around her 24/7.
It was only in third year that the growing tension between Cherry and the rest of the World of Mages snapped a gaping void between her and any hope of a normal Watford experience. It could have been much worse; after three years of a non-stop work ethic and flawless talent with fire, Cherry had drawn attention as a catalyst for political upheaval (“If we keep letting any bastard like her into Watford, then we’ll be overrun by idiots who can barely manage a wand!”). But what really shredded a divide between Cherry and Donovan was an offhand comment- an insult that could’ve been brushed off like a flea… if it hadn’t been said right to Cherry’s face.
Cherry looked as though she was about to punch the ignorant boy who’d said it, but Donovan got there first; Simon and Baz had been like the dads he never had, and he simply wouldn’t have any shit about their sexual orientation. Cherry had to pull the two boys apart before they could do any real damage, but that didn’t stop Donovan from landing himself an appointment with the head of the Coven. His mother, who had drilled non-violence into her son’s brain since birth was “extremely disappointed” (actually very pissed off that her son was being punished and ready to punch the headmaster himself), and whispers followed Donovan everywhere for weeks.
“Maybe he’s like them.”
“I’ll bet they started a cult together.”
Of course, all of this got back around to Cherry, and she wouldn’t stop pestering him about it for days. Irritated and tired, Donovan bit back with “Well, maybe if you weren’t so liberal with your fucking beliefs, and kept it all on the down-low for once, then we wouldn’t be in this position!” Cherry, who considered herself a political activist at age thirteen, was furious and hurt, but above all reflective on why Donovan should have to suffer for her actions. Clever and caught mid-revaluation, Cherry worked the whole argument up to be more than it actually mattered to her and completely demolished their friendship with “Is there anything that you even remotely care about? That you would defend without complaint or question? Because if you do, it sure as hell isn’t me or your family! Fix your fucking priorities, Bunce, and get some new friends while you’re at it!”
That was the first time that Cherry called Donovan by his last name, and it was soon a permanent habit. She distanced herself from him in any way possible after that argument, purposely choosing to quarrel with him in public settings and convincing him that she hated him with a burning passion whenever she had the chance.
Two years later, Donovan had made a routine of irritating Cherry purely for the purpose of making sure she was mentally healthy and not planning an MMD (Magickal Minority Discrimination) protest, while Cherry continued to render herself friendless and mobbed with homework.
And it was never easy for Cherry.
As she got older, movements against her and all other minorities became more bold and frequent- “Normal” spray-painted on her door in bright red, insults like “Humdrum sympathizer” and “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” (a phrase that seemed to both lift Cherry up and drag her down). She needed a friend to stand by her more than ever. Her roommate, Keya, was always distant, and Cherry refused to consider drawing Donovan back in.
He was safe, and by separating herself from him, Cherry quenched any side effects of her impact in the magickal political atmosphere that could backfire onto him.
And maybe it hurt, watching Donovan flourish and mingle with his friends. And maybe it wasn’t enough for Cherry to have an older brother to hold her and support her during the holidays; maybe she wanted something more.
And maybe it stung as Donovan watched Cherry take on the world by herself. And maybe it wasn’t enough for Donovan to check up on Cherry once and awhile, only to hear her groan and complain about he needed to just leave her alone; maybe he wanted something more.
And maybe it burned as Donovan Bunce fell hopelessly in love with somebody who hated him.