Just Like Fire | J. Saltzman - Legacies [2]

F I V E

Stella and Hope walk along the outside of Mystic Falls High School. Stella's bag weighs on her shoulder as she glances at Hope who is lost in thought. The younger witch shrugs as she glances at the nearby school buses. "So, was it Landon?" She asks.

"Landon?" Hope repeats. "What do you mean?"

"I know that look," Stella says with a pitying smile. "I know they say it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved before, but honestly? Loving someone and losing them sucks. Maybe it gets better in time. I'll have to let you know."

Hope sighs, letting her head roll forward. "You know, you're much smarter than you should be. People don't give you enough credit."

Stella scoffs and waves a hand. "Oh, don't you worry about it, cousin. They'll all see it someday when I'm ruling the world." As she chuckles, she purses her lips. "So, was it Landon?"

Nodding, Hope runs a hand down her face. "Yeah. It was Landon. And now he's with Josie." Stella tenses as Hope looks down at her. "Are you going to be ok? I mean, with the whole eljun bond?"

"We barely know anything about it," Stella says. "All we know is that it's dangerous. Maybe it's good that I'm staying away from Josie. She doesn't need this pain when she's moving on. Not that Landon is the right choice. I mean, he's obviously your boyfriend." Stella nudges Hope's shoulder playfully. "But at least she's getting over Penelope."

"But she's not getting on you," Hope mutters with a grin.

Stella gasps. "I cannot believe you just said that!"

A loud crash makes both girls frown. "Come on, let's get out of here!" A boy yells as the girls happen upon a defaced mural and toilet paper hanging from the ceiling. All Stella sees are blurs of yellow as Salvatore students run away.

"Seriously?" Stella narrows her eyes as a cop car pulls up next to them. A woman steps out; Stella inches behind Hope—a lesson she's learned from her parents when danger approaches.

The woman sighs at the mural and streamers. "This looks pretty self-explanatory, but you want to give it a shot?"

"Toxic masculinity mixed with outdated sports pranks?" Stella says with an arched brow.

Hope shakes her head. "Look, I'm a new teacher, and I was walking with this student. The real culprits left before you got here."

The window of the car rolls down; Stella's eyes widen at the girl sitting there. "There's no way Stella did it," Maya says. "She's a Timberwolf, not a Stallion."

"Maya?" Stella steps forward. "What happened?"

"Oh, don't worry." The girl steps out of the car with a grin. "She's my mom. We don't really like to talk about it."

"We?" Hope asks.

A boy steps out from the other side of the car. His hair is swept out of his eyes, making Stella think of her own brother. "Hey, Ms. Marshall," he greets. When he sees Stella, a lopsided grin covers his face. "Hey, you're the girl who threatened to take my QB1 status."

Stella raises her finger. "First off, sports are the bane of my existence. Second, I said if I tried out, it would be for QB1. Not that I would ever because all it is is a measuring match. I'm the person who watches on the stands and occasionally joins the wave."

Hope glances between the students. "Ethan? So, you guys are—"

"My kids," the cop says. Stella sees the sheriff's badge on her chest. "No matter how much it embarrasses them."

"Because who doesn't like getting dropped off to school in a cop car?" Ethan quips.

"Could be worse," Stella mutters. "You could have a teacher for a mother."