Enemy Fire | J. Saltzman - Legacies [3]

S E V E N T E E N

Sun shines through the kitchen windows as Josie walks in to see her sister standing over the stove with a mischievous smile on her face. "Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey!" Lizzie says.

Josie chuckles as she walks over to the metallic island. "You're up early. And in a good mood." She glances down at the large bowl of eggs. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Lizzie's expression drops dramatically. "Unless you consider astral projecting into a prison world to search for your frenemy's goo-ified phoenix boyfriend problematic."

"That sounds dangerous." Josie slides into a seat as Lizzie piles more food into her bowl. "What did Dad say?"

"It was his idea. Something about how the monsters seem to return to Malivore after we destroy them, and Malivore himself being locked away inside of the prison world, blah, blah, blah. But on the bright side, it means that Dad trusts us now more than ever." Lizzie sends her sister a grin as she slides a plate for Josie across the island.

"Lizzie, I don't eat bacon since I was a pig in a fairytale, and I'm pretty sure that you're the one Dad trusts. Not me. Besides," She stands, straightening her plaid skirt. "I have to go."

"Go where? I can take the bacon off."

"On the tour, remember?" Josie can't help the grin that spreads over her lips as Stella walks into the kitchen, a Salvatore School uniform-clad on her body and her hair tied into two low ponytails. "Mystic Falls High."

"Hey," Josie coos as Stella presses a kiss to her cheek. "You were asleep when I stopped by your room."

"Yeah, well," Stella plops down in the seat Josie was just sitting in and grabs the leftover bacon to munch on. "You didn't think I would miss walking you to your tour, right? Besides, with Alyssa gone, I don't know what to do with myself. Nice outfit." Her blue eyes trail down her body as she bites her lip.

"Is there something wrong with it?" Josie frowns, looking down to hide her blushing cheeks.

"Oh, speaking of fashion," Lizzie says. "We're getting new uniforms for the flag football team. Should I put you down as a Stallion or a Timberwolf, or one of each, just in case?"

Josie catches Stella sending Lizzie a glare, which the taller girl ignores. "I'll get back to you on that," Josie replies with a soft sigh. "But good luck today."

Stella pops up from her seat and links her arm with Josie. "Oh, see if you can figure out why new boy hates me," Stella calls over her shoulder with a muffin in hand.

"Fine!" Lizzie groans. "Good luck to you too. I mean it."

"She's never going to find out, is she?" Stella sighs as the two girls walk through the empty school and outside to Stella's car. After Alaric had given the ok for Stella to stay, the Hales had helped move what was still there from Stella's apartment to the school. It made the past few weeks hectic and chaotic, to say the least, especially with the tension between Josie's father and the Hales, but it was all worth it to see Stella smile and get comfortable with the school once again.

"I wouldn't count her out yet," Josie chuckles as she slides into the convertible. Stella sits in the driver's seat, her hand resting on the gear shift as the car roars to life. "Lizzie will get it out of him at some point. I really don't know why Aaron's avoiding you. He's been super friendly."

"Don't remind me." Stella lets out a laugh as Josie selects the music. Driving through Mystic Falls, it does not take long to get to the high school with the two girls singing to the radio at the top of their lungs. Recently, they had made a joint music account to gather songs they liked (at the moment, mostly just movie musical songs) to play on rides.