The Real Me ↠ Hope Mikaelson ✓

10

𝐀 𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏
listen, i'm a nice person. so if i'm a bitch to you, you need to ask yourself why.

MILLIE AND LIZZIE are sitting on the main stairs of the Salvatore School, sipping slushies and talking about anything and everything.

"And Ravi—" Millie stops talking when movement catches her eye, turning her head to see Penelope Park casually approaching them with a red slushie in her hand.

"Well, well, well... if it isn't the monster sisters. The crazy blondes..." Penelope smirks when she sees Lizzie swallow thickly and look down at her slushie. She tilts her head and stares Millie in the eyes. "What did you and your crazy lookalike do to Jo-Jo?"

Lizzie stands, moving to stand in front of Millie. "We did nothing to our sister. And don't call her Jo-Jo. You're the one that manipulated her and made her say—"

"I simply brought out her true self. She's the one that spread all the lies about you and Hope. Well, white lies, seeing as some of them were partially true. Hope is a monster just like her father, and you..." Penelope laughs maliciously. "You're like a black hole of time, space, and energy. You never leave Josie any time for herself because she's spending all of it taking care of you." She clicks her tongue, her eyes narrowing at Millie, who is holding Lizzie's hand. "Ever since you showed up to this pathetic excuse of a school, Josie's been spending her remaining energy making sure you don't go all nasty zombie on people."

Millie narrows her eyes and moves Lizzie behind her, not letting go of the girl's hand because it's the only thing holding her back from going full-on zombie mode at the moment.

"Maybe you love Josie and actually care about her, but you went at it all wrong, Park," Millie hisses through gritted teeth. "You made Josie feel as though she could only rely on you. She told us about how you had come up with stupid lies to make Lizzie seem like a monster, and how you said that Lizzie had read Josie's diary, so you somehow spelled Lizzie to say the things that Josie had written down.

"Josie had only just realised that last night, after she and Lizzie had a heated argument about the whole messed-up situation. And while, yes, you were the one that egged everything on, Josie is still being held accountable for everything she's said—"

Penelope takes a threatening step towards the small blonde. "Josie needs to learn to stand up for herself and not crack under pressure when her idiotic, pathetic sisters start some stupid argument! Maybe you two should take some credit for what you've done to her!"

"What have we done exactly?!" Millie shouts so loudly that it gains the attention of everyone in the main area. "I only arrived a few weeks ago! Josie never even knew me! And Lizzie... she always looks out for her twin! She makes sure that whenever someone bullies her, she puts them in their place. And when Josie gets a cut or something, she tends to it. Why are you blaming their whole dynamic on just Lizzie?! It goes both ways—"

"Mills, stop," Lizzie murmurs, suddenly standing in front of Millie, holding both her hands.

"Yeah... Millie, stop." Penelope smirks and watches in amusement as the two blondes try to calm down.

"Oh, shut it, she-bitch!" Lizzie snaps, narrowing her eyes.

"How about no?" Her smirk widens even more as she opens the cup of her slushie and throws it straight at Lizzie.

"Oh, that's it!" Millie yells, her bright blue irises turning red with rage, and her face going more pale than usual with black veins pulsing around the skin of her eyes.

She goes to lunge at the brunette witch—who looks scared shitless now—but she's grabbed around the waist.

"Millie, stop!" Hope demands, and Millie's face returns to normal, as does her breathing. "This is exactly what she wants." She glares at the retreating witch, who is once again smirking. "Let's take care of Lizzie, yeah?"

Lizzie, who is on the brink of crying, dashes through the room and towards one of the bathrooms.

Millie and Hope take off after the tall blonde, closing and locking the bathroom door behind them so no one can barge in.

"God, I hate that bitch!" Lizzie slams her hands down on the bathroom sink, looking at herself in the mirror. "Is... what she said true? Do I suck everyone's energy and make them take care of me?" She hesitantly glances over at Millie and Hope, the latter performing a locking and silencing spell on the room. "Am I such a miserable person that I make everyone around me miserable?"

Millie shakes her head, slowly approaching the blonde. "No, Lizzie. Of course not."

Lizzie screams, punching the mirror, shattering it into a hundred tiny pieces. "Tell me the truth!" Her hands glow on the sink as she subconsciously siphons from the school. "Please... tell me." She slides down to the floor, crying into her knees as she rocks back and forth.

"Lizzie, that stupid witch said nothing true!" Hope snaps before taking in a deep breath. She sits on the floor beside the blonde, Millie on the other side. "She's a lonely, miserable person, wanting to make everyone else the same so she feels better about herself. She saw this strong, popular girl, working on her mental health, taking care of her father, and planning every party and event... and she got jealous.

"She wanted Josie—who knows if she actually has real feelings for her—but you had all of Josie's love and attention, and she hated it. You did nothing wrong, okay? It's all on her."

Millie leans her head on Lizzie's shoulder. "Hope is right. Penelope's just a very miserable person, and no one should take account of anything she says."

Lizzie sniffles, nodding slowly. "Thank you, guys." She turns her head to send a thankful look towards Hope, who is feeling rather awkward about the situation. "I'm sorry for everything I said about you, Hope. You're just a girl, like me, learning how to live with whatever is wrong with us. I can't say much for Josie... but I do know that she feels miserable for burning down your room and ruining what you had left of your parents."

Hope looks down at her hands, feeling tears pool in her eyes. "You don't have to apologise, Lizzie. I once said some messed-up stuff about you, too. I want you to know that I never once meant it and that I hope we can get past this."

Lizzie smiles softly. "I think we already have."

Millie beams at their interaction, glad they're becoming friends, even after everything that has happened to them.

Apart from Penelope Park, everything seems to be looking up.