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

T W E N T Y - N I N E

Josie had chosen her nicest top this morning—the exact same shirt she had worn that spring day when she had snuck into Hope's room and found a sobbing Stella instead. Her skirt brushes against her thighs as she stands in front of her mirror, Lizzie lounging on the bed behind her. Josie tucks a strand of hair behind her ear to show off her dove earrings as she smooths out her pleated skirt and tugs her shirt down.

Lizzie grins as Josie twirls around. "Jo, it's perfect. She'll love it, I swear."

Biting her lip, Josie shakes her head. "Nope, something's missing." She faces her sister as she clasps her hands in front of her nervously. "What's missing? It's not perfect, and it's not gonna work, and she's never going to talk to me again—"

"Oh my god, would you relax?" Lizzie drops off the bed and takes her sister's hands in hers. "The outfit is fine. Everything is fine. You just need to corner her, because we both know she's never gonna voluntarily have this conversation."

Josie lets her head hang as she shifts her weight. "What if she doesn't remember what happened? Or worse, what if she does?"

"Calm down," Lizzie chuckles as she looks up at the clock above the dresser. "and might I suggest going now? She has spell lab in fifteen minutes."

Nodding, Josie once again smoothes her outfit. "You know what? I should change the shirt. It's wrong and—"

With a roll of her eyes, Lizzie takes Josie by the hand and drags her out of their shared room, leading her down the hall. Despite Josie's whines, Lizzie does not stop until they reach the sparsely decorated door at the end of the hallway. "You are going to do this," Lizzie says as they stop.

She knocks on the door.

Josie hisses her sister's name as Lizzie waves and says, "Invisique."

Lizzie disappears just as the door opens.

Josie faces front, the breath leaving her lungs for a moment too long: Stella stands before her in dark jeans and a purple Salvatore School shirt, her hair arranged half up in a small knot. "Hi," Josie breathes as a smile spreads over her lips.

"Hi," Stella replies, frowning as she glances out at the empty hallway. "Is everything ok?"

Opening her mouth, Josie finds her voice escaping her. Her fingertips tingle at her sides as the world narrows around her.

"Are you ok?" Stella asks as she grips the half-open door.

"Can we talk now?" Josie pushes into the room without a response. As she turns back around, she says, "I just, um...I just wanted to talk about what happened."

Stella blinks. "What happened?"

"Yeah. In the prison world."

Stella's eyes drop to her feet as she slowly pushes the door closed with her hip. "Yeah, I've been meaning to talk to you, actually." She scratches the back of her neck, not once looking up. "You know, we can just forget about it." A strangled laugh escapes her throat. "I mean, we were both a little off—"

"I don't want to forget about it," Josie blurts out. As the words leave her lips, she finds her shoulders relaxing. "Stella, I don't want to forget what happened. I don't want to forget what you said or did."

Stella clenches her jaw as she glances up. "What part?"

"All of it." Josie takes a few steps forward, tentative but steady. "You protected me when I put us in this stupid mess in the first place."

"It would have hurt you," Stella replies instantly. Her cheeks redden as she shakes her head. "Look, Josie, you are my friend, and I don't like seeing my friends hurt, especially since I have so few left. I don't regret it. I never will."