MONSTER, stefan salvatore [2]

Monster's Ball

CHAPTER 14: MONSTER'S BALL

Costume Store

Natalie stared at her reflection in the mirror, not knowing whether or not it was a good fit. She liked it, of course. It was beautiful and she felt beautiful but she wasn't sure if she should go. She could see Caroline smiling at her from her reflection in the mirror as she sighed.

"You look gorgeous, Nat. Take it." the blonde vampire urged her with a smile, almost in awe at how natural her best friend looked in the costume, it was if she was supposed to be wearing that type of clothes. Maybe she was first born during that time period and it just clicked, but she saw how she seemed so natural in it.

Natalie didn't take her gaze away from the mirror as she met the Forbes girl meet her eyes through the reflection as she fiddled with her daylight necklace, allowing the coldness of it to bring this cold feeling to her hands. "I don't even know if I want to go. It's just a stupid college costume ball."

"Just a stupid costume ball?" Caroline repeated as if she had just insulted her hair and punched her grandma. "This is a chance for you to get out there! Bonnie didn't want you to lose all your growth because of her. You have to go out and have fun. You're at your best when you have fun."

"I thought I'd be at my best when I was myself," the brunette shrugged, turning slightly as she allowed the daylight necklace fall against her chest and met the other girl's eyes sadly. "I'm more than just happy Natalie who hates to dance but simultaneously kinda loves it so I do it anyway. And the way I am right now doesn't really want to do anything."

The currently straight-haired blonde sent her a small, comforting smile as she walked closer to her, putting a hand on her shoulder as she gestured to the mirror. "Look there, what do you see?" She felt her best friend shrugged as she looked at herself with confused eyes. "Because I see someone who always gets up when life knocks her down. You've been down a while. It's time to get up."

Natalie took a deep breath as she met her own gaze in the mirror, looking into the depths of her warm, brown eyes and plastered a smile on her face, like she had done so many times before because even if she wasn't okay, she wanted to let everyone think she was so she could learn to be. "Okay, I'll take it."

She leaned her against Caroline's as they rested the sides of their heads against one another, looking at Caroline standing in her jeans as Natalie looked at the white dress flowing down her body, a costume of a greek goddess. But the fact that she was born in Greece 2000 years ago had still not been told to her.

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Whitmore Historical Ball

Caroline had been running off with Tyler all the time since he got back to Mystic Falls/Whitmore College and was barely able to make it to shop for costumes with Natalie because, let's just say that both Elena and Natalie were afraid to return to their dorm room. 

Natalie had barely been to at the dance for a moment as she flattened her white goddess costume as she pushed her wavy hair behind her ears before someone walked up to her, clearly wanting a dance himself.

Stefan smiled at her with his leather jacket firmly placed over his white shirt and if Natalie had to guess, he was maybe James Dean. "Hey, dance with me. I'm buzzed, and I'm on the verge of having a good time."

"Oh, really? I didn't know you could have a good time at all!" she giggled teasingly as he looked at her in amusement and his smile grew with every word she uttered.

"I said I was on the verge. You could help make it an actual good time." he offered her his hand, and she glanced at it hesitantly, but placed her hand onto his firmly with a teasing smirk, which he noticed. In less than a second he twirled her into his chest, making her gasp in surprise, but her lips still tugging upwards as he spun her out once again.