Spike stopped doodling in the dirt, brushing the former picture away, and looked over at his fellow Prefect. He swallowed slowly, and tried to turn his lips upwards into a smile. They didn't want to go. Spike was fooling no-one, given that his usual bounciness in this class had been replaced by his current slumped posture.

Maybe he should have gone to an acting class, instead. To try and convince himself that things really were okay, like he kept saying. His head felt like it wanted to explode, his heart felt empty, and he'd totally lost his appetite. Yup, feeling really okay, was Spike.

"Hi Louisa," he said, settling for a nod alongside the strained half smile. "I'm sorry about being late for my Prefect patrol last night..."