The Originals [Sequel]

•|Strike Three, You're Out|•

[S3-E17]

Dear Diary,

Last night, I kissed someone. Well technically, I didn't kiss him, he kissed me, but it was amazing. I never thought that I would be having my first kiss anytime soon. Maybe things do get better faster than you think. My family is still in danger though.

Hope.

Chicago | The Next Day
••••••••••••••••••••••
Hope

Jake stepped out of Devin's car and approached me where I sat down on the porch of my Mom's home. It was weird now, hanging with Jake. He carried a black box in his hands, with a red bow, as he walked.

"For you." He smiled and handed me the box.

Taking the box from him, I say it in my lap and began to un do the bow. As I pulled the top of, there had been a black dress in there with a note on top.

"Dear Hope Mikaelson," I read allowed. "I didn't plan anything epic for my invitation to you as my prom date. So I've decided to go with something simple and expensive. Because you're worth it." When I read the last part, I clinched my jaws, more confused as ever.

I placed the note back into the box and put the top back on it. I even thought about tying the bow up and throwing the entire box at him. I told my aunt that I would continue to pretend to be his friend, but he makes it harder every day. Like everything is normal when it's not.

"You don't like it?" Jake asked, breaking the silence.

"No." I shook my head furrowing my eyebrows. "I mean, yeah I like it, but I-I just..I can't except this." I finally looked at Jake for the first time in the last day, into his eyes. "And I don't think I can go to prom."

"What do you-what do you mean? Why?" He asked, a serious look on his face as he looked into my eyes. He looked as if he'd been hurt. "Hope, this is probably the last time that I'll ever get to go to prom in my life. And I want to go with you-"

"Well I can't." I interrupted, not thinking about his feelings. Only mine. The ones that he'd hurt when he lied to me about who he was, but I had to hold it in.

"Okay. Then...tell me why." He shrugged. "I'll fix it-"

"Because of Julius." I cut him off again, I licked my lips and let out a sigh as I looked into Jake's. "The only reason that I even accepted your invitation to the Grill was because I didn't want to spend any time with Julius. He lives all the way in Italy and I didn't want to start anything with him. But we started something when we ran away together. A future king and queens dream story."

My Mom's car pulled into the dirt driveway, but it was obviously my father. He loved to drive her Rang Rover for some reason. I never understood why he didn't just buy his own if he could buy himself an entire house.

"He's staying here, and I'm no longer going to string things along with you." I finished. "But I really hope we could still be friends."

Jake nodded his head and we both turned our attention to my dad and the stranger who got out of the passenger seat. Jake furrowed his eyebrows and stared at the stranger. I assumed he was KJ. He looked exactly like my aunt described him.

"Who's that?" Jake asked.

"My brother." I answered. "KJ."

"KJ?" Jake turned his attention to me with a serious look on his face and I could hear the speed of his heart beat. "KJ as in Niklaus Mikaelson Jr."