The Real Me ↠ Hope Mikaelson

04

𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀𝐑𝐓
ethereal, almost ghostly

MILLIE AND THE TWINS were walking around the school, arms linked, smiles on their faces.

After Lizzie told Josie about the little scene with Hope, both twins had taken it to themselves to make sure the blonde kept smiling. And anytime they spotted anything Hope Mikaelson related, they steered Millie away.

They were talking about going out in the meadow again to make flower crowns when a boy approached them with a wide smile.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my favorite girls!" He exclaimed and Josie smiled brightly at him before pulling him into a hug. His eyes looked over at Lizzie, holding out his arms for a hug, but she rolled her eyes at him and turned to stare at Millie who was amused by the whole thing. "Don't worry, Lizzie, I won't hold it against you if you hug me. We all know you want to." He winked at the tall blonde who scoffed loudly at him. He grinned and turned his attention to Millie. "I heard about the mystery sister but I didn't think it was true. Hello! I'm Milton but I like to go by MG."

Millie waved at him with a bright smile on her face, which made her nose scrunch up very cutely. "Hey! I'm Millie but I suppose you already know that. It's nice to meet you." She stepped forward, out of Lizzie's hold, and wrapped her arms around him in a friendly hug. "Since Lizzie didn't want to hug you, I thought I would. I hope you don't mind." She pulled back and offered him a wide grin.

He stuttered for a second, a little taken back by her kind smile and gesture. "No, no, it's totally cool with me." He licked his lips and tilted his head at her. "Even though you and Lizzie look pretty much identical, you definitely don't act it." He then shot a nervous look to Lizzie when she stared at him in anger. "No—not like that's a bad thing. I like the way Lizzie is, uh, you know... I—"

Lizzie clicked her tongue loudly. "I don't care what you have to say, MG. Get lost." She grabbed both of her sisters hands and moved past MG who frowned slightly.

"Bye MG!" Millie shouted over her shoulder, sending him a wave before she they went around a corner and she could no longer see him. She turned her attention to her younger but taller sister. "That was rude."

Lizzie sighed and frowned. "MG has this huge crush on me and no matter how many times I tell him that I don't like him, he keeps trying. It's really annoying."

Josie gave her sister a look. "You should give him a chance."

"Just because he likes me, doesn't mean I should give him a chance, especially when I look at him, all I see it a purely platonic relationship. Trust me, I tried liking him a year ago, I wanted to like him after Alice broke my heart, but it just didn't work out. He's only ever going to be my friend." Lizzie ran a hand through her blonde hair, hating how rude she sounds, but knew that it was the truth. All she feels when she stared at MG is friendship.

"I agree with Lizzie, she doesn't owe him anything," Millie spoke up softly. "Also, who is Alice?"

They both looked to Lizzie who sighed dramatically. "Alice is a vampire who I have had a crush on for so long. She finally started to speak to me last year but as it turns out, I was the butt of a joke. She was dared to ask me out. We dated for a month before she announced loudly at a party that she didn't like me, never would, and that it was all a dare. I didn't want to believe it at first, but her friends joined in with their camera's, laughing, and I blew. The whole Mill got caught in fire. Then, here comes in Hope friggin' Mikaelson to the rescue. Everyone praised her and I got yelled out. It's not my fault that people are cruel."

Millie clenched her jaw, feeling anger for her sister. "Does this Alice still go here?"

Josie shook her head. "She ended up leaving school a few months before you showed up."

Lizzie smirked. "Yeah, after I paid her back for hurting me."

Millie smiled, loving the confidence that she has. "Good. If I were to ever see her, I wouldn't be able to hold back my full-on zombie mode. It wouldn't be a pretty sight."

Josie looked between them and shook her head. "Come on. We're gonna be late to Potions."

Millie and Lizzie linked arms and followed behind the brunette.

IT WAS HOURS later and while the twins were in a class that she didn't have, Millie walked to the art room.

Pausing at the door, she spotted Hope Mikaelson by herself, painting with her back to the door. Tilting her head, she watched as the girl stroked her brush across the canvass slowly and deliberately. It was a girl who knew what she was feeling and wanting to paint.

Smiling, Millie straightened her shoulders and walked into the room. "That's a beautiful painting," she complimented softly before taking the empty seat beside her, pulling out her own pencils from her bag.

Hope didn't turn her head toward the blonde, but noted how the girl was confident as she started sketching with her pencils. Her lip tugged at the corners slightly before she shook her head, reminding herself that she was related to Lizzie Saltzman, and put all her attention on her painting.

Though, she couldn't blame herself if she glanced every now and again at the blonde who hummed to herself quietly as she sketched with a permanent smile on her bow-shaped lips.

Not that she stared long enough to notice the exact lip shape Millie has. Nope.

Millie hummed an Olivia Rodrigo song to herself as she sketched the outline of a face. She was allowing her imagination take her where it wanted.

And who would blame her when the outline soon turned out to be Hope Mikaelson's facial features.

Licking her lips, she continued working on her sketch as Hope worked on her painting, both girls working contently beside one another.