An Elemental Difference - AIR - Book 1 (Stefan Salvatore)

Chapter 32 - As if I'd have a normal fear like that!

MYSTIC FALLS HIGH SCHOOL

Aella giggled as she made Stefan dance to the music blaring through the school. They had already gone through the haunted corridor laughing hysterically as Caroline became a loving third wheel to them and clung between them, screaming in horror as students dressed up as zombies and other horrible things, jumped out at them.

"So nothing scared you yet?" Stefan asked as he pulled Aella close.

Using her long blonde wig to tickle his nose she giggled and playfully shook her head, "Me scared, never."

"Elena told me that every year the boys try to scare you and fail every year," Stefan wafted the hair away, wiggling his nose in irritation, which had Aella 'ahhing' how cute the move was.

"Nope!" Aella popped her 'p' as she wrapped her arms around his neck dancing close with him, "They don't know my biggest fear, and never will."

Stefan raised his brow, "And how can you be so sure?"

"Only one person knows" Aella whispered to him, as though Tyler and Matt were listening in on their conversation. "And she would never give me up."

"She?" Stefan summarised, then guessed, "Caroline?"

"Ha!" Aella exclaimed. "As if I would tell that Barbie something she could use to get back at me."

"Bonnie?" Stefan guessed again.

"Na-uh," Aella smirked. "I love you Stefan, but I ain't telling you that."

Stefan smirked, and it was a smirk that unnerved Aella, "Grams?"

Aella's eyes widened as he guessed correctly, "How did yo-" Someone tapped her shoulder and she turned around mid-question Stefan, thinking it was someone asking her when she got her costume from - for the umpteenth time- when she was faced with the masks of three, eerie, appalling, atrocious, disgusting, abhorrent, horrific, evil, CLOWNS.

"Agghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Aella screamed terrified.

Stefan realized his mistake when Aella didn't scream then laugh with him, but suddenly started screaming and crying, even when Jeremy, Tyler, and Matt removed the masks laughing alongside him. "Aella," he pulled her into his chest as she started sobbing, her body shaking from the power of the sobs.

Jeremy, Tyler and Matt's laughter stopped abruptly with his own as they realized that Aella wasn't just scared of clowns, she was terrified. Feeling sick with guilt as they quickly removed their masks, moving closer to Aella and talking over one another apologizing. They looked to Stefan, who could only shrug as Aella continued to sob, their apologizes not doing anything.

"Aella, I'm...we're...so sorry," Stefan apologized reaching down to take hold of her cheek when he realized they were not wet, in fact, Aella's lips were pulled into a smile, and Stefan realized that her shaking was not from crying but laughing.

"GOTCHA!"

Aella pulled herself out of Stefan's arms and screamed out the words as Elena, Bonnie and Caroline jumped out shouting the same words; Bonnie holding up her cell phone recording the whole thing. Aella stood with her best friends as he and the boys just stared between the camera and the girls in shock, they had been bested at their own scare game.

"How?... Wh-" Tyler stuttered out.

Bonnie smiled, focusing the camera on him, "You guys always get one of us every year, how does it feel when the tables are turned?"

"Wait?" Jeremy frowned looking to Aella. "Are you afraid of clowns?"

"No!" Aella exclaimed appalled. "As if I'd have a normal fear like that! Do you not know who I am Jeremy?"

"That sounds about right," Matt scoffed, but his eyes were drawn to Elena and the outfit that matched his, a look that Caroline did not miss.

Aella suddenly slapped Stefan who pulled back rubbing his arm, "You tried to scare me?"

"Ow," Stefan rubbed her shoulder, she had used her magic to hit him and had actually hurt him. "They said it would be their only chance to prank you."

Aella glared at him for a moment until she smiled brightly and jumped into his arms, "You are perfect for me."

Stefan stumbled back as he laughed in shock at her change of emotion, "What?"

"What?" Tyler and Jeremy echoed, equally as confused.

"Not only is he super hot, but he'll also even try to prank me," Aella boasted. "Do you know how rare that is in a boyfriend?"

Bonnie snorted, shaking her head at her cousin, "Only you would love having a boyfriend who tries to prank you."

"I know!" Aella smiled brightly.

Stefan leaned down to Aella and whispered into her ear, "I'm never going to 100% understand you am I?"

Aella looked up into his eyes and smirked, "No, Sir. You got a problem with that?"

Stefan kissed her lips, "No Ma'am."

Aella kissed him back when Tyler threw his mask on the floor in annoyance, "30 Bucks wasted."

Aella pulled back from Stefan and picked the mask off the floor, wiping it free of dirt and mock cobwebs, she looked to Tyler and Jeremy with a devilish smirk, "You know, I may not be scared of clowns but..."

The boys thought over her words moment before they realized her meaning as Aella placed on the mask and ran after the younger students in the school, especially the girls, scaring them. Jeremy placed his mask on and ran after her as Tyler stole Matt's and ran with him.

"I should be surprised that Aella would use the prank on the boys to scare small children, but I'm not," Caroline rolled her eyes as she stepped up to Stefan with Bonnie.

Bonnie shrugged with a laugh before following after the group shouting over her shoulder to the two of them, "I gotta get this on video."

Stefan was about to ask if Caroline wanted a drink when he saw her staring over at Elena and Matt, who were now standing close and laughing together, "You okay Caroline?"

Caroline watched the two exes for a few more seconds then turned to Stefan, "How am I supposed to compare to that? They were together for so long!"

"But they also broke up," Stefan offered to which Caroline scoffed.

"Elena broke up with him, not versa visa!"

Stefan had to force his lips close as Caroline got the adverb mixed up, but didn't have the heart to tell her, "I do think he likes you."

"Did you not see and hear the 'Hey' debacle today?" The blonde frowned, "He hates me after that."

"Hate's a strong word."

"What do you think I should do?"

Stefan thought over his answer, "Just talk to him like his friend. The way you spoke when he helped you after the carwash."

"Friends?" Caroline screwed her nose up at the word. "Are you friends with Aella?"

"Of course," Stefan laughed. "If there's one thing I've learned all my years being alive, if your not friends with the girl you love, then it's not going to be an exciting relationship."

"AELLA!"

Caroline and Stefan winced as a group of girls screeched Aella's name following Aella's laughter, "Speaking of interesting," Caroline smirked.

Stefan nodded and nodded his head to where the yell came from, "I better go find Aella, you should talk to Matt-" he motioned to Matt who was now walking away from Elena- "like his friend to whom he says 'hey' to."

Caroline nodded, and the two walked away from each other only to stop when Caroline shouted Stefan, "Hey Stefan?"

The vampire turned to her with a raised brow, "Thank you for listening to me."

"Hey," Stefan chuckled with a slight shrug. "Aella made it very clear that your her number 1, so looks like your my number 2."

Caroline chuckled with a nod and start making her way to Matt realizing how lucky she was to have Aella and now Stefan in her life.