Burnin' Up | J. Saltzman - Legacies [1]

T H I R T Y - S I X

gif from google images

The fabric is itchy; her hair feels too stiff; her body is burning. As Stella walks down the hallway towards the great hall, the dress she wears weighs on her. She can hear the names of her competitors being called in the auditorium, but the ringing in her ears muffles the voices.

She walks into the auditorium.

"Miss Josette Saltzman, escorted by Miss Penelope Park."

Stella watches as Josie and Penelope stand on the stairs, smiling widely as they descend. Lizzie stands below with a growing smirk on her face.

All she can do is watch as Josie takes the fall, tripping over the floral dress she wears and crashing into Sasha. Both of them fall to the wooden floors with a loud bang. The collective gasp of the room sucks the air out of Stella.

"I can't do this," she whispers to herself as Josie stands. "Why am I doing this? I-I can't—"

She spins on her heel only to be met with her brother. She shakes in his grasp as he gently wraps her arm around his. "It's ok," he whispers, offering a kind smile. "It's only a few more minutes."

"I-I can't take this from her. She just let me take it." She pants as she tenses in his grasp. "I-I can't..."

"Twenty more minutes. That's all."

"Miss Stella Hale, escorted by Mister Theodore Hale."

"Just breathe with me," Teddy whispers as he squeezes her hand. She looks up at the sky, blinking furiously as she inhales sharply. "Slower," Teddy says as they take the first step down the stairs. "but you have to look down or you're going to trip."

Stella follows his instructions, gripping his hand as they make their way down to the dance floor. She sags slightly when they begin to dance hand in hand. The feeling of his arms holding her up gives her enough comfort to fake a subdued smile.

"You doing ok?" Teddy asks as they circle each other.

"Fine," she says with her voice clipped. "Let's just get through this like you said."

As Stella spins around her brother, she catches the twins in the corner of the room. Josie's infuriated expression sends a shiver down Stella's spine. "What are they fighting about?" she asks, motioning to the girls.

"Who knows," Teddy chuckles. "It's always something with siblings."

"I know you can hear them. Tell me." She tightens her grip on his shoulder. As he tilts his head to the side and narrows his eyes to focus on his hearing, she relaxes her hand.

"It's silly," he says. "Sibling rivalry stuff about the dress." His voice drops as his expression flickers in panic.

"What? Tell me," Stella demands. She looks over again to see something akin to malevolence in Josie's eyes—something Stella has never seen in the brunette's face before.

Teddy's eyes move to the opposite corner of the room where he meets a pair of identical blue eyes. "Klaus gave Caroline the dress," he whispers.

Without looking, Stella knows that Teddy is looking at Hope. "Do you think she knows?" Stella asks as she purses her lips.

His eyes flicker down to her's. "I'm betting Roman just told her."

Her throat closes off as her voice drops. "Is she crying?"

He nods.

Stella scoffs as her air gets lodged in her chest. "So, by doing this stupid competition, I not only alienate myself from Josie, but Hope too?" Her voice cracks. "Why did I do this?"

"Calm down," Teddy says, but the sound can't reach her ears. She barely breathes as the music ceases and the judges announce the winner. She can only think about the brunette leaving the room and the miracle trybrid crying in the corner.

"Without further ado, it is my honor to announce our very own Miss Mystic Falls. From the Salvatore School, Miss Stella Hale."

Stella can hear her heart beating in her ears. Smoke fills her nose as she looks around the room at the faceless audience. Her throat contracts as the air in the room grows moist.

Arms wrap around her waist. "Congratulations," Lizzie coos in her ear before she whispers, "It's ok. Just let it out. The real way."

Stella shakes her head as she lets her arms reach up to hug Lizzie back. The half-formed words melt on her tongue. "I-I can't."

Lizzie grips her tighter. "Then, when you can, I'll be here."

~~~~~

Curling up on Lizzie's bed, Stella watches as the blonde folds up the winning dress. Her heart weighs heavily in her chest as she sighs. "I need to talk to Hope."

"Just give her a minute to breathe," Lizzie replies, closing the box. "She's got that thing with Landon, not to mention the whole dress debacle. She needs some space."

Considering the words, Stella slowly pushes herself off of the pillows and into a seated position. The fire in the fireplace flickers off of her eyes, turning them pale blue. Lizzie sits on Josie's bed, spreading her hands over the covers as Stella says, "I thought I was gonna get closer to her. I thought that by doing the competition, I could show her I was better than Penelope. But I just showed her I was worse."

Lizzie arches an eyebrow. "So, are you admitting something?" Her voice gets higher with a hint of excitement.

"No," Stella looks down at her fingers. She ignites a small ball of flames and rolls it on her knuckles. "What do I have to admit? I just wanted to repair what I broke with Josie after the mummy realizations. I just wanted to show her I was there for her— that I was her friend. How'd you know what to say? How'd you know what to do?"

"That's what Josie's done for me a thousand times," Lizzie leans forward. "She's really mad at me. I don't think I've ever seen her so angry."

"I'm pretty sure Hope's pissed at me for wearing a dress her father picked," Stella replies. Her eyes trail to the dress. "And I think Josie hates me now too."

"Then let's make a deal." Lizzie looks up with a new twinkle in her eye. "You help me get Josie back, and I'll help you get Hope. Then we can work on getting you and Josie together."

Stella lets out a watery chuckle as Lizzie holds out her pinkie finger. "You mean as friends."

"No, I mean together," Lizzie smirks. "I see the way you look at her. And, despite the rocky start, I actually approve. She seems to be breaking your heart more than you would ever break hers. I ship it."

Shaking her head, Stella wraps her pinkie around Lizzie's. "Ok," she whispers. "It's a plan."

I never expected Stella and Lizzie to get along, but here they are. I love them :)

Hope you enjoyed!

-L