I own nothing but my own words.
Chapter 5: Girls' Night Out!
"Ok, we got in!" Lizzie exclaimed loudly, relieved they didn't have to wait outside any longer. Her blue mini-dress hardly covered her and she was freezing.
She was also relieved Hope hadn't been exaggerating about making fake IDs.
"Remember," she continued. "It's girls' night out! We're here to have fun, let loose, and take a break from all our worries!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Hope replied, grinning with a tilt of her head, shaking the hoop earrings Lizzie insisted she should wear. Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail. Her outfit consisted of a purple cami with a tight wraparound black mini skirt. When they were getting ready she felt slightly uncomfortable but now that they were out she was feeling great.
"And we can start with these!" Alyssa said as she turned from the bar holding two shots in each hand. She held one hand out to Josie and Hope who quickly took theirs. "I agree! Time to loosen up girls!"
"Not what I meant!" Lizzie replied sarcastically, not bothering to take one from Alyssa's other hand. She didn't need that to have fun. Plus, she was driving. Also, her mind was crazy enough as it was. She didn't need to be inebriated to lose further control.
"Suit yourself!" Alyssa shrugged and tossed back both her and Lizzie's shots.
The other two girls looked at each other, shrugged, and drank their shots as well.
Making a face at the taste, Josie put the empty glass on the counter and said, "Let's dance!" She grabbed hold of Lizzie's hand, dragging her off before she said anything else to Alyssa.
Alyssa had been surprisingly pleasant that evening thus far. Josie knew Hope was worried it would turn into World War III when Lizzie and Alyssa were forced to spend time together. Alyssa wasn't Josie's favorite person either, especially not after she sent them all to the prison world with Uncle Kai, but considering Josie was responsible for raising Malivore a few months ago, she figured she could try to forgive her. They all made mistakes and deserved a second chance.
Hope hadn't really ever drank alcohol for recreational purposes before, just for special occasions. Most of her family consumed it on the regular, but she never saw the appeal. Tonight, though, she decided she was going out to have fun and experience the real world, as Clarke would say. She was going to try new things, and having a shot with the girls to kick off the night was definitely new.
She followed Lizzie and Josie, glancing to make sure Alyssa followed. She may not know quite what to make of Alyssa coming with them, but she would keep an eye out for her anyway.
The girls danced together or, in Alyssa's case, with others.
Dancing at a club was very different from school dances, Hope noted quickly. Everyone was basically squished together like sardines, not that most people minded. Hope stayed close to Lizzie and Josie, but Alyssa had no qualms about dancing and, quite literally, bumping and grinding with any random person she happened to bump into.
Hope was having so much fun, she didn't think twice when Alyssa tapped her shoulder and waved, letting her know she was taking off from the dance floor. She should've known Alyssa would do her own thing though. She wasn't exactly there to hang with them.
The club was set up with a pulsing dance floor that was surrounded with sound barriers to muffle the music slightly closer to the bar and table areas. The entire place was still loud, but they hadn't needed to yell quite as loudly by the bar as they needed to closer to the dj booth.
Later, Josie grabbed Lizzie and Hope's arms.
"Check on Alyssa?" Josie practically screamed to be heard over the music, putting a thumb over her shoulder in the direction Alyssa went.
Hope shook her head and tapped her ear. She didn't understand a word Josie said.
Lizzie rolled her eyes, understanding immediately.
She motioned for Josie to go, then tapped Hope's arm and motioned that she and Hope were going to leave the dance floor too, but in the opposite direction.
Josie nodded but frowned slightly.
"What are you—" Hope tried to ask, but the music drowned out her words. She stopped trying and followed her friend until they reached one of the bars.
"Be my wing woman!" Lizzie called out over the music.
"You're what?!" Hope called back. "Wing woman?"
"Screen the guys for me!" Lizzie called back. She promised herself she would put herself back out there. Why not flirt a little? She just needed someone to run interference so she wasn't forced to speak to some Neanderthal.
"How!" Hope called back, wondering if she was expected to pass a note like this was middle school.
"It's easy!"
"Do you want to meet my friend?!" Hope yelled out, face belying her awkwardness.
The guy made a face and didn't bother responding, just turned and walked away.
"Guess that's a no," Hope shook her head.
She made her way back to Lizzie, "This is ridiculous!"
Lizzie wasn't even paying attention to that guy anymore; she was staring at a different guy leaning against the bar. "Do him next!"
"Do it yourself!" Hope insisted.
"C'mon, Hope!" Lizzie pleaded.
Hope sighed, but she went.
Wondering where Josie was and if she could somehow find her and get her to take over this job, Hope trudged to the next guy. This night was about Lizzie though. If Lizzie wanted to find a guy, Hope would try to help.
Walking up to the bar, she leaned back against it next to the latest guy.
"Hey!" she called out, getting his attention. "You should totally meet my friend!"
He laughed into his drink and called back, asking, "Is she hot, crazy, and kinda mean?"
Hope pursued her lips, deciding how truthful to be. "A little?"
"Then, no!" he said loudly, pulling away from the bar. "Thanks though!"
She rubbed her forehead and went back to Lizzie. "You wouldn't have liked him!"
"You're terrible at this!" Lizzie leaned into her side to yell in her ear.
"I warned you!" Hope wondered if she would lose her voice if she kept trying to speak over the music.
"Oooh!" Lizzie exclaimed, patting Hope's shoulder and turning her around to face a new guy. "Him!"
Hope sighed again. "Last one, okay?!"
"Okay!" Lizzie agreed. "Do your best!"
Hope nodded and approached the next guy.
"Hey!" she started, wondering if she should try a different technique to do her 'best'.
"Hello there!" the guy hollered, smiling down at her.
"Come here often?!" she asked instead of her usual opening question. She should at least find out if he spent a lot of time at clubs. Lizzie deserved better…right?
He laughed, "Not much! You?"
"No!" she called out, shaking her head, searching for something else to say. This was so ridiculous. Thank goodness it was the last one. She glanced at his drink while trying to think of something new and witty.
He noticed her gaze and immediately called the bartender over with a wave of the hand.
"Whatever she wants!" he hollered to the barkeep.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, mouth dropping open. "No! You don't have to—"
"Something fruity!" he called out when she was too flustered to reply.
Hope finally found the words to reply, "I look fruity?!"
He shrugged with a grin, "I'm Brandon! What's your name?!"
"I'm… actually here for a friend!" Hope said as loud as she could, not wanting any more confusion. She shifted and smiled awkwardly, finally realizing he thought she was flirting with him. "Sorry! You seem nice! My friend wants to meet you! She's Lizzie!"
"That's a shame! You have the prettiest smile!" he called out, shaking his head.
Hope smiled in apology.
He shrugged, "Send her over!"
Hope turned to go just as the bartender sat the drink on the counter.
"Take your drink!" Brandon nodded at it.
She smiled demurely and took it, then immediately went to Lizzie.
"You're good! Go ahead!" Hope said before taking a big gulp from her glass.
"Really?" Lizzie said, face lighting up. "Thanks, Hope! You're the best!"
"His name's Brandon!" Hope called out. "I'm gonna find the girls!"
"Yeah, yeah," Lizzie waved a hand as she walked away.
Even though Hope had paved the way, Lizzie was still a little nervous. Guys she liked didn't usually like her.
This guy was definitely tall—taller than her—and he had short black hair and an angular face with…green eyes, she noted as she approached.
"You must be Brandon!" she called out when she reached him.
"Rumor has it!" he called back nodding. He glanced at her but went back to looking across the room.
She was focused too much on not saying the wrong thing like she always did, so she waited too long before saying, "I'm Lizzie!"
"I know!" he said, looking down into his drink and swirling the cup.
"My friend said you… wanted to meet?" Lizzie called out.
"Actually, she said you wanted to meet me!" he said, looking up again. "Now you have! Was there anything else?"
Lizzie frowned. What the hell.
"Uh, no!" she said, annoyed.
"What's your friend's name!?" he asked.
Understanding hit and Lizzie rolled her eyes. This one had definitely backfired.
"She's taken!" Lizzie said.
"Doesn't look like it!" he said, nodding to some point across the room.
Realizing he had been watching Hope the entire time, Lizzie stepped in front of him, blocked his view, and glared at him in warning.
"Trust me! Back off!"
Lizzie stalked away, grumbling to herself. She wasn't mad at Hope; she had only done what was asked of her. It wasn't her fault. But that guy, he was a total dick.
"Found you!" Hope said, finding Alyssa sitting at a booth in the VIP area with some guy.
Alyssa surprisingly seemed to know her way around places like this, especially to get access to premiere seating. She sat across from them and slid around.
"Where's Josie?" she asked. Fortunately, she didn't have to scream quite as loud, though she still had to increase her volume.
"Bathroom!" Alyssa called out over the music.
"Who's this?" Hope asked, nodding at the guy who hadn't looked up once. He was too busy kissing Alyssa's neck.
"Oh, uh," Alyssa shrugged. "No idea, but he's cute, right?"
"Andrew!" random guy pulled back to answer.
"Uh huh," Hope said, shaking her head. She didn't agree with her at all, but if that was what Alyssa was into, so be it. She finished off her drink and sat the empty glass down.
Just then the waitress swooped in and dropped off a couple more drinks.
Alyssa pushed one across to Hope, "Here!"
"Thanks," Hope shrugged. This one was blue instead of green like the last one. She was curious. And she was also surprised that they tasted so good. Apparently she did like fruity. Go figure.
"Did you fall from… something?!"
Lizzie had found a seat at the bar and was staring down into her Diet Coke, trying not to feel sorry for herself but it wasn't working. Being approached by some random guy after forcing Hope to chase them down for her would've been welcome if she wasn't already in a crap mood because of that dick guy from before.
"Heaven?" she supplied sarcastically.
"You're no angel!" the voice said loudly, getting closer to her ear to be heard.
Lizzie finally looked at the guy. Not bad.
Light brown hair, hazel eyes, and a nice enough face. He even seemed pretty tall too.
"How would you know?" she asked loud and haughtily.
"I know everything!" he said with a smile that made the corner of his eyes crinkle and showed the dimple in his cheek. His teeth were perfect too.
"Then what did I fall from?" she asked, hoping for some clever reply to indicate he had a brain.
"Some jerk's arms!" he said. "Which means I can pick you up in mine!"
"You can try!" she said, shaking her head.
"Wanna dance?" he called out.
She pretended to consider, "Maybe!"
He put his hand out and she reluctantly gave it.
"I'm Lizzie!" she said loudly, allowing him to pull her up and lead her away.
"Jack!" he said.
Josie wasn't sure how she got relegated to Alyssa duty, but if she had to watch some guy necking with her for one minute longer, she was gonna hurl. She left for the bathroom, glad when she returned and saw Hope sitting there.
Smoothing out her red shorts jumpsuit, she slid into the booth next to Hope, "Hey!"
"Josie!" Hope exclaimed with way too much excitement. She leaned against Josie's side. "I've missed you!"
Josie glanced at the drink on the table and had to laugh. "Got one for me?!"
Hope held up a finger to indicate she should wait.
And, sure enough, a waitress sat another one down.
Alyssa slid it over to Josie.
"Like magic!" Hope called out.
Josie laughed again.
"Where's Lizzie?" Josie asked.
"I finally found a guy for her!" Hope said. "I never want to do that again. Hopefully she's dancing with him!"
"You know, for someone who was adamant this be a girls' night out," Alyssa said, "I'm surprised she's off hooking up with some guy!"
"Dancing is hardly hooking up," Josie argued.
Alyssa rolled her eyes.
"Besides, you're hooking up enough for the rest of us!" Josie said.
"Josie!" Hope admonished. "Be nice."
"Yeah, Josie," Alyssa said, reaching out to take the guy's hand. "Be nice."
Alyssa tugged the guy out of the booth with her and took off to dance.
"Having fun?" Hope asked Josie.
Josie shrugged. It wasn't what she expected. So far they had danced and then Hope and Lizzie went off to do… Hope and Lizzie things. Without her. Again.
But now she could at least spend some time with Hope, so that was a plus, right?
"Always!" Josie said.
"When is Lizzie going to admit she likes MG?" Hope asked. Then maybe she would never find herself in a 'wing woman' position again.
Josie shrugged, "Never? Some people can't see what's right in their face!"
"They're blind!" Hope agreed.
Hope reached out and tapped Josie's arm, "We're the ones lucky in love! Perfect vision!"
Josie took a drink to avoid replying.
She and Jade, well, it was fun, but it was way too soon to know if it was love. She really liked her. Spending the night with her last Friday after the dance had definitely been a lot of fun too. She really hadn't meant to cancel on her. She wanted to be a good girlfriend. She wanted someone that was her own.
But Jade wasn't Hope Mikaelson. Josie had a crush on Hope years ago; but, if she was truly being honest, she still harbored a tiny crush. She wondered if maybe that was why she wanted to be as close to her as Lizzie was. Not that any of that mattered. Josie had Jade and Hope had Clarke.
Josie shifted, not sure she would ever get used to Hope talking about 'love' and 'Clarke' in the same sentence. How someone as amazing and special as Hope could be with someone as horrible as that had never made sense. Luckily, Josie was a realist. She figured Hope and Clarke wouldn't last, and she couldn't wait for it to be over. And, hey, maybe by the time Hope inevitably broke things off with Clarke, she would start seeing Josie in a different light.
Shaking her head at her thoughts, she reminded herself she shouldn't be hoping for Hope when she had Jade—and when Hope had never shown any interest in her at all.
It was probably the alcohol making her think crazy things like that. She had a couple drinks throughout the night to loosen up. She should probably get away before she said something to embarrass herself.
"I'm gonna find Lizzie!" Josie said.
"Don't interrupt if she's having fun!" Hope warned with a giggle. "I'll join you when I finish my drink!"
Even if Lizzie was occupied, she could still dance nearby at least.
Lizzie actually really liked this guy.
She didn't know anything about him, not really, but he definitely could move. She was getting way too bothered while dancing with him, so she was grateful when Josie showed up nearby to distract her.
Finally, she tugged him away from the crush of people and gave him her phone to put his number in.
"I'm here with friends!" she explained loudly in his ear. "I need to get back!"
He nodded, but then stroked a tendril of hair off the side of her face before leaning in to kiss her.
Melting against the wall, she returned the kiss for as long as she dared.
She finally tugged on his shirt and pushed him back, staring up at him breathlessly.
Whoa.
He winked and then disappeared into the crush of people.
She waited until her breathing returned to normal and went back to search for Josie.
Finding her sister, she screamed her question, enunciating the words with her mouth because there was no way Josie would hear her, "Where's Hope?!"
"With Alyssa!" Josie called out, pointing back at the table. "She's coming!" She motioned with her hand to indicate Hope would join them later.
Lizzie went back to dancing with her twin and a couple new guys showed up to dance with them. Deciding to just go with it, they kept dancing. Lizzie ended up with another number from her dance partner, Dillon. She didn't kiss him though. But it was fun to say she had gotten two guys' numbers. Maybe she wasn't quite as pathetic as she thought when it came to guys.
Worried her dance partner would get ideas from Lizzie's, Josie quickly grabbed her sister's hand and tugged her away to Alyssa's table.
Seeing that Alyssa had returned as well, though it seemed with a different guy, Josie shook her head and slid in next to Hope again. Lizzie slid in after her.
"Lizzie!" Hope tried to get to her around Josie's back. "There you are! You're having fun, right? You better be! This is your night!"
Lizzie looked at the empty glasses on the table, wondering if Alyssa and her little boy toy had drank all of those.
Just then the waitress swooped in, picked up the empty glasses, and put a fresh drink down in front of Alyssa who then pushed it over to Hope who accepted it gladly.
"Exactly how many of those have you had?" Lizzie asked, looking at Hope.
Hope shrugged, "I don't know, but they taste amazing!"
She held the drink out to Josie. "Wanna try?"
Josie took a quick sip then coughed when Lizzie poked her.
"Alyssa," Lizzie asked. "How many has she had?"
Alyssa shrugged, enjoying the ear nibbles she was getting. "Guys keep buying me drinks. I can't drink them all." She figured they were from all the guys she had danced with hoping they would get the chance to join her at her table next.
"So you just pass them on to her," Lizzie said, breathing out and glancing heavenward. At least since the waitress was bringing them she knew they were safe, but still. Hope was well on her way to getting wasted.
"Hope, let's dance!" Lizzie said, wanting to get her away from Alyssa's endless supply.
Hope shimmied in her seat to the music, perking up, "Okay!"
Lizzie stood then waited impatiently as Josie helped Hope slide out of the booth. Hope started giggling and ended up lying down on the seat for a minute, looking up at Josie before she was tugged to a sitting position by her friend.
"I'm okay!" Hope said, shaking her head. "I got this!" She just hadn't expected everything to tilt when she started moving.
"No more for you," Josie laughed.
"Maybe we should just go..." Lizzie said.
"I'll be fine!" Hope exclaimed, standing up slowly. "I'm ready to dance!"
Lizzie wasn't convinced, but she followed Hope and Josie.
Hope tried to dance, but she ended up mostly leaning against Josie and later Lizzie, swaying back and forth.
"I don't think this is working!" Lizzie shouted to Josie.
"Bathroom!" Hope shouted in Lizzie's ear.
Good idea, Lizzie thought.
"I'll take her!" she shouted to her twin, pointing to the restrooms in case Josie couldn't understand them.
Josie nodded.
Lizzie led Hope across the room and waited until she was safely in a stall before Lizzie went herself.
When she came out, Hope was staring at a mural on the wall, fascinated by the painting.
"Lizzie! Isn't it beautiful?"
"Yeah, yeah," Lizzie said as she washed her hands. "Fabulous. It should be on display at the Louvre...
"Ready to go?" she asked, drying her hands.
Hope nodded. "I want to dance some more."
"I guess," Lizzie said, eyeing Hope warily.
Fortunately, it seemed that Hope really was doing better. She even walked out of the bathroom on her own.
She walked all the way back to Josie on her own too, which made Lizzie believe she was okay to sit for a breather.
"Table!" she shouted to Josie, putting her thumb over her shoulder.
Josie nodded and took Hope's hand, tugging her over to start dancing again.
Lizzie joined Alyssa, squinting because she was pretty sure there was a different guy with Alyssa than before.
Signaling the waitress, she ordered a bottle of water and a Diet Coke. Thinking they could all use a water, she ordered a bottle for Josie and Hope too.
"Are you going to do that all night?" she asked Alyssa with distaste.
"Do what?" Alyssa asked.
"What do you think?" Lizzie raised her eyebrow at the guy in question.
"You do what you want," Alyssa said, "and I'll do what I want."
"Right!" Lizzie said, as the waitress sat down her order. "Is it any wonder we've never been friends!"
"Because you're so innocent and pure?" Alyssa smirked.
Lizzie made a face at her, and looked away.
"Crap," she said, looking at the dance floor.
The asshat from earlier was dancing with Hope. Josie was still there, dancing by herself nearby. But she didn't know that this guy had been warned away from Hope already. Plus, even Hope didn't know the guy was more interested in her than Lizzie.
It was definitely time to go, she thought, slamming her Diet Coke down on the table.
Standing up, she made her way through the crowd as quickly as she could, hoping the guy didn't try something with Hope. Not because she didn't think Hope could protect herself, but because a drunken Hope might blast the guy into the next county before remembering she wasn't supposed to use magic.
Grabbing Hope's arm just as the guy pulled Hope back against him, trying to grind against her, she pulled Hope away.
"Time to go!" she shouted at Hope and glared at the guy.
Hope followed along, frowning at her friend in confusion.
"Don't be like that!" the guy, Brandon, tried to yell into Lizzie's ear as he followed them through the crowd. "I just want to dance with her!"
"Beat it!" Lizzie said angrily, still tugging Hope along, nearly to the VIP area.
"Lizzie?" Hope asked. "What's wrong?"
"Let me give you my number!" Brandon yelled at Hope, reaching to take her other hand.
Hope snatched her hand back, frowning, "I don't think so!"
Seeing the look on Hope's face, Lizzie knew the tribrid was a heartbeat away from doing something magical. She pulled Hope away and got in his face.
"You do not want to mess with us!"
Whether he understood her or not, he definitely could see the look on her face as well as Hope's.
"Okay, okay!" he backed up, raising his hands in surrender.
Lizzie kept walking away, holding onto Hope and noting that Josie was following now, eyeing the guy as she passed by.
"Alyssa!" Lizzie said as she stalked to the table and grabbed the three water bottles. "We're leaving!"
"But—"
"Car's leaving in five, with or without you!" Lizzie commanded.
She had just about enough of clubs and stupid boys for the night.
Though there was that one not so stupid boy…
"Where are we going now?" Hope asked as she climbed into the backseat with Josie. "Let's go on an adventure!"
"Um…sure?" Josie said.
"Don't encourage her," Lizzie said, climbing into the driver's seat and buckling her seat belt. "And whatever you do, do not let her—"
"Hi, baby!" Hope giggled loudly into her phone.
"—call Clarke," Lizzie smacked her forehead. "Damn it."
Alyssa snickered from the front passenger seat.
It took Clarke a minute. Hope had never called him any terms of endearment. It wasn't really part of her vocabulary. She knew calling him 'Ryan' was enough. And she also didn't usually laugh like that, which left him a little wary.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"I think we're going on an adventure!" she said. "Right, guys?" She giggled again, her laugh entirely too loud.
Lizzie face palmed, then turned the car on and drove off.
"We're not in the club anymore," Lizzie said. "Stop yelling everything you say."
"I'm not!" Hope argued, still being too loud.
"Let me talk to the blonde," he said, hearing the conversation through the phone and suddenly realizing Hope was drunk.
"Why?" Hope frowned. "Don't you want to talk to me? I miss you."
"I do," Clarke assured her. "But let me talk to her first."
She sighed. "Fine."
She called out to Lizzie, "He wants to talk to you."
Lizzie swore. That was exactly what she wanted to avoid. After he made her feel like an idiot last week, she would rather not give him the chance to do it again.
"Josie, hold the phone."
Josie, who was sitting behind Lizzie, took the phone from Hope and held it up to her sister's ear.
"What do you want, Shrek?" Lizzie asked.
"She's drunk," he said.
"Only a little," she lied.
"If she goes back to school like that, how much trouble is she going to get into?" he asked. She was too loud. Someone was going to notice. Apparently Hope was a loud drunk. It would've been amusing if she couldn't potentially ruin any chance of him seeing her for the next three months.
"On a scale from one to ten?" Lizzie asked. "Um…a hundred?"
Clarke swore.
"Is Ryan home?" Hope asked. "I wanna go home!"
Hearing her, Clarke rubbed the area between his eyes, groaning, "Take her home."
"Home?" Lizzie asked.
"The apartment," Hope supplied, leaning forward eagerly. "It's mine and Ryan's."
Assuming they were all probably in pretty much the same condition and Hope shouldn't stay there alone, he said, "All of you stay there. Just keep out of our room, and don't throw up on anything. And figure out how to get back to school tomorrow without getting caught or in trouble. That'll go over better than having you all show up drunk tonight."
"I haven't been drinking, thank you very much," Lizzie said. "Just…everyone else has." Alyssa and Josie were buzzed but nowhere near as bad as Hope.
"Sounds like Hope did enough for both of you," he grumbled.
"Yeah, well, we have Alyssa to thank for that," Lizzie glared quickly at the other witch before looking back at the road.
Alyssa shrugged.
"Just take her home," he said, suddenly wishing he had decided to go home too instead of working over the weekend.
"I need an address, and a key," Lizzie said.
"I'll text her phone," he said. "You know you don't need a key. I'll disable the alarm. Let me know when you get there. She's not going to remember the code right now."
"Roger that," Lizzie said.
She pulled her head away from the phone. "He's done, hang up, Josie."
"Wait!" Hope called out. "He said he'd talk to me!"
"Later," Lizzie said. "We're going home now."
"Home?" she perked up. "Really?"
"Josie, check the phone," Lizzie said. "He's sending the address. We're all staying there tonight."
"Sleepover!" Hope giggled. "You know, I never got to have those growing up."
"I can't stay off campus over night," Alyssa argued, not at all happy with this change in plans. She couldn't get in trouble again. She could get expelled. Then where would she go?
"You should've thought of that before you got Hope drunk," Lizzie said. "Girls' night out, Alyssa. We're all in this together. Deal with it."
"She got herself drunk," Alyssa argued, huffing and crossing her arms across her chest, making the thin black material flounce.
"I'm hungry," Hope said suddenly.
"I could eat," Josie agreed.
"But aren't we going home?" Lizzie asked.
"Pit stop?" Josie suggested.
"Let's go to the Grill!" Hope said.
Lizzie thought about it and decided she was hungry too. Plus, she wasn't ready for girls' night out to be over yet. Once Hope got some food in her system, she would probably sober up much faster too.
"Josie," Lizzie said. "Text Shrek. He can deactivate the alarm later."
Josie did as she was told but shook her head at the irony of her being the one to text Clarke.
"Tell him I love him," Hope leaned against Josie and looked down at the phone while Josie typed out the message.
"Uh, no," Josie said crinkling her nose.
She wasn't that good of a friend.
"Thank God Dad isn't here," Lizzie said, giving the Mystic Grill one more glance for any familiar faces before she slid into her seat next to Alyssa across from Josie and Hope.
"Relax," Josie said. "We didn't see his car anywhere. Besides, if he's still out at this time of night, he definitely won't be at the grill."
"If you're insinuating what I think you're insinuating, don't," Lizzie cringed.
"Can I get your drink order?"
"Maya?" Hope asked, looking up. "Hi! I didn't know you worked here! Aren't you doing that internship for the mayor?"
Maya shrugged, tapping her pen against her order pad. "Not sure how long I'll be doing that. Drink?"
"Just water," Lizzie replied. She looked around. "For everyone." Not that it mattered. No way was she letting any of them use a fake ID at a local place that might recognize them.
None of the girls argued.
"Be right back," Maya left before she had to make further pleasantries. She really had liked Hope when she first met her, and she was still pretty nice. She just felt like she shouldn't let her off the hook for hurting her cousin…though even Landon didn't hold it against her anymore.
"What're you getting?" Josie asked Hope, leaning over to look at the menu page Hope had opened to.
"Anything but a burger," Hope said, her standard answer when dining out now. After the month of burgers with Ryan in November, she wasn't sure she could stomach one more anytime soon.
"Oooh, mozzarella sticks," Hope said, pointing.
"That sounds good," Josie said. "Share them with you?"
"Okay!" Hope said.
"Isn't that just fried cheese?" Alyssa asked distastefully.
"And your point is?" Josie asked.
"Sounds gross," Alyssa said.
"Wait," Lizzie leaned back and looked at her seat partner. "You've never had a mozzarella stick before?"
Alyssa shrugged nonchalantly and went back to looking over the menu.
"Here you go," Maya returned and sat the drinks down. "Ready to order?"
"Two orders of mozzarella sticks for the table," Lizzie said, holding up her menu to pass back. "And I'll have a grilled chicken caesar salad."
"Same!" Hope said cheerfully.
"Veggie burger and fries," Josie said.
"Grilled chicken house salad," Alyssa said. "Ranch dressing."
"I'll take your menus," Maya said after making notes.
"How're you doing Maya?" Josie asked as she passed hers. "I've seen you around school but…" She didn't really associate with her anymore, not since Ethan left the school and Maya broke up with Jade.
Maya shrugged. "Okay. I've seen you too. And Jade." That was one thing she felt guilty about, the way she broke up with Jade. She still felt wary around vampires but she wasn't as terrified as she used to be. She had Caroline to thank for that.
"Yeah…" Josie trailed off, surprised Maya would even mention Jade. And maybe a little wary too. "We're dating now." Just to be clear.
"I figured," Maya said. "I'm glad she's… happy."
"Okay, stop," Lizzie said, swishing her hand out. "It's girls' night out! None of this blah."
"Girls' night out, huh?" Maya asked, looking around. "You girls are out pretty late. I didn't think Salvatore students could do that."
"We're being bad," Hope leaned forward, giggling.
"Let me guess," Maya looked at their outfits. "First to the club, now for munchies. What's next?"
Hope looked around, "Pool?"
"I'll put you guys on the list for a table," Maya nodded.
"Thanks, Maya!" Hope said with a grin.
"No problem," Maya said, finding herself smiling back.
Hope really was too sweet. Sigh.
"Please be better at pool than you look," Lizzie said, watching Alyssa lean over to line up her shot. Alyssa was on her team against Josie and Hope.
Alyssa frowned at her than took her shot. She stood up triumphantly when the correct ball dropped into a side pocket. "You were saying?"
"Good," Lizzie said. "Now do that again."
Alyssa sunk the next ball too.
"Uh oh, Jos," Hope said. "We might be in trouble."
"You're not wrong," Josie said, watching Alyssa line up her next shot.
Without magic, Josie was pretty sure she wasn't going to be able to sink a single ball. Hopefully Hope would do better. If Alyssa ever gave them a chance.
Missing the next shot, Alyssa made a face.
"Okay, Jos!" Hope said. "Now's our chance! You got this!"
Josie walked around the table, lining up her shot. She had to lean down across the table, but she got the angle she wanted. She figured for it to work though, she would need to put some force behind it, so that's what she did.
She hit the ball so hard, it actually flew off the table and headed straight for Alyssa's face.
Fortunately, Hope reached out and grabbed it with a loud smack before it could hit her.
Josie looked up, open-mouthed. She had not expected the ball to do that.
Alyssa stepped back, looked at Josie, and then burst out laughing.
Josie started laughing uncontrollably too, lying her head down on the pool table.
It didn't take much for Hope to dissolve into giggles over anything that night, so she did just that, leaning against the pool table as she tossed the ball back, laughing hard.
"Ow," she said, shaking her hand.
"Great reflexes," Lizzie said while looking around with a smile. No one was paying attention to them. She was also kind of amazed. She had never heard Alyssa laugh like that before. No sarcasm, no nastiness, just pure laughter like she was truly having fun.
"No magic," Josie said between laughs, "is much harder than it looks."
"Making pool an extreme sport," Hope laughed out, trying to catch her breath.
"Girls," Maya interrupted, getting their attention. "Don't wanna ruin the party, but Mom just called in a dessert order. She'll be here in, like, ten minutes."
"Okay…?" Lizzie said, confused.
"Who do you think your Dad went on a date with tonight?" Maya asked.
"Crap!" Lizzie exclaimed. "Time to go!"
"I'll take you out the back just in case they're too fast," Maya offered.
"Thank you!" Hope said.
The girls put their pool sticks down and made a run for it, following Maya quickly, giggling the entire way.
"We gotta hurry so he doesn't see your car!" Josie said, wondering how ridiculous they looked as they all tried to run in their heels.
"Chill," Lizzie said, slowing down and huffing. She really needed to work out more. "We've got a few minutes. We'll just walk briskly."
"Where did you park again?" Alyssa asked, squinting.
"Just follow me!" Lizzie said, walking as quickly as possible. "Keep up, Hope!"
"I can't help it that my legs are shorter than yours!" Hope called out.
"Then you run, I'll walk briskly," Lizzie called back.
"Shhhh!" Josie hushed them, not wanting to draw attention as they ran across town square.
"Cheater!" Hope called back in a loud whisper.
Lizzie snickered.
"Well," Lizzie said, "I'd say this night went pretty well. I even got two prospects."
The girls had finally arrived at Hope and Clarke's apartment. Hope had sobered up enough to remember the security code so they didn't have to bother Clarke again.
Lizzie had to admit, the apartment was pretty nice. The living room opened into the kitchen where the girls had taken seats at the round table.
"Spoon?" Hope held out her hand with four spoons for the girls to take one. Then she plopped the container of ice cream down on the table and sat. "Dessert!"
"Only two?" Alyssa asked Lizzie, reaching across and taking a spoonful from the edge closest to her.
"Do we even want to guess how many you got?" Lizzie asked with a side eye, spooning up her own bite.
"More than that," Alyssa said.
"Well," Lizzie said, "I prefer quality over quantity."
Alyssa made a face at her.
"I hope one of them wasn't that Brandon guy," Hope said.
"Ugh, no," Lizzie shuddered. "He just wanted to pump me for info about you."
"Wow," Hope said, spooning out a bite of ice cream making sure to get some with nuts. "Sorry! I told you I didn't know how to be a wing woman."
Josie frowned at something on the counter. She stood and approached the large black contraption.
"Hope, what is this?" she asked. "And why does it look like it melted?"
"Oh, we need to get rid of that," Hope said. "It's a bread maker."
"Why do you have a bread maker?" Lizzie asked. Of all the appliances for them to have.
"To make bread?" Hope replied.
"You don't cook," Lizzie said.
"He does," Hope answered.
"But what happened to it?" Josie asked.
"Um…I kinda made him make our entire dinner using that," Hope shrugged. "It didn't end well."
"Oh my God," Alyssa exclaimed, staring at her. "It's bad enough that's all you watch. You don't seriously make your boyfriend play Cutthroat Kitchen too!"
Hope blushed. "He likes a challenge!"
"Isn't that the show where you pay money to steal ingredients from other contestants?" Josie asked as she sat back down, picked up her spoon and reached for a bite.
Hope looked down at the table and drew a pattern with her fingers, "Well, he just pays in other ways to get them back."
"T-M-I!" Lizzie started gagging.
Josie made a face, "Really didn't need to know that."
"You asked!" Hope said. "I'm sure you and Jade have your own little things."
Josie winced, "Not really."
"What's wrong?" Hope noticed Josie's expression shift.
"She's kind of mad at me," Josie said.
"She'll get over it, whatever it is," Lizzie replied. "It couldn't be that bad."
"Well, uh," Josie looked at the ice cream container so she didn't have to look at them. "We were supposed to go on a date tonight, but I cancelled."
"Josie, that's terrible," Lizzie said.
"It was for you," Josie said.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Lizzie asked. "I would've let her come!"
Josie looked at her, annoyed, "You said no S-Os."
"Well, yeah, but I didn't know you already had plans," Lizzie said. "This was why Penelope hated me so much, wasn't it? Don't make Jade hate me too, please. I thought your codependent days were over."
"They are," Josie insisted. "I just had to make a choice."
"Which wouldn't have even been a choice if you just told me," Lizzie said. "We may be twins, but I can't read your mind."
"Okay!" Josie said. "You're right! I screwed up. I wasn't thinking."
"Relax," Hope said. "We'll figure out a way to fix this. Won't we, guys?"
"Speak for yourself," Alyssa said.
Hope rolled her eyes, "We, except for Alyssa, will help you fix things with Jade."
"You can try," Josie said. "But I think this is one I have to fix myself." The reason she planned that date with Jade in the first place was because Jade mentioned she was spending too much time with Hope and Lizzie. Having Hope and Lizzie help would probably just make things worse.
"Well, if you need us," Lizzie said, deliberately looking at Alyssa as she said it, "just let us know."
"Thanks," Josie said with a smile. "So, how about you tell us more about your prospects?"
"Dillon was nice enough," Lizzie said, thinking back. "But Jack, well, he kissed me."
"You better call him," Hope exclaimed, seeing the look on Lizzie's face.
Lizzie shrugged. "I'm sure he probably gave his number to a bunch of girls, he probably wouldn't even remember me." Besides, she wasn't exactly legal age either. Still, it was nice to get a number.
"Which one was he?" Hope asked.
"Oh, none of the ones you talked to," Lizzie said. "Jack came to me."
"Then yes," Hope said. "He'll remember you. He likes you."
"I mean, no guys really ever like me, so…" Well, there was Sebastian, but he was definitely not anyone she should've ever dated.
"What about MG?" Josie asked.
Alyssa put her spoon down and sat back, "What about him?"
"Oh," Hope said, looking apologetic. "I never really apologized for that."
"For what?" Lizzie asked.
"When you guys were in the prison world," Hope said, "I kinda—"
"Pimped MG out to me to get the location of the ascendant?" Alyssa finished for her with a glare.
"You did what!?" Lizzie exclaimed.
"I was desperate," Hope excused. "Alyssa had a crush on MG, so I used that. But I am sorry," she finished, looking at Alyssa.
Alyssa shrugged, "I'm sorry I made out with Jed on your bed."
"You better be," Hope said, wrinkling her nose in disgust. She didn't even want to think about what else Alyssa might've gotten up to on her bed. She washed her bed sheets regularly, thank you very much.
"Wait," Lizzie wanted to know more. "How did I not know this?"
"We were in the prison world," Josie said.
"I guess I should apologize for that too," Alyssa said reluctantly.
"Nearly sending us to our doom?" Josie asked. "Uh, yeah, apologize please. Though that is a big thing to forgive."
"Forgive or don't," Alyssa shrugged. "I really don't care."
"So, what exactly happened with you and MG?" Lizzie asked, not letting it go.
Alyssa smirked, "Don't tell me you're jealous."
"What? No," Lizzie denied immediately. "If I were jealous, I'd have a problem with MG having a date this weekend but I'm not, so I don't."
Hope looked up. That explains it. Lizzie hadn't been interested in any guy since Sebastian that she knew of—and she knew a lot about Lizzie Saltzman. So why had Lizzie suddenly been so interested in finding a guy tonight? Here was her answer. It had to be MG.
"Good, he deserves better than you anyway," Alyssa said.
Lizzie glared.
"Why don't you tell us what happened with Jed, Alyssa," Lizzie practically spat the words.
Alyssa looked away, trying to act like she wasn't bothered, but she was.
"Kaleb doesn't even come near you anymore," Lizzie went on. "Talk about someone deserving better."
Alyssa opened her mouth to make another scathing blow at Lizzie, but Hope interrupted.
"Alyssa! Lizzie!" Hope exclaimed. "Be nice!"
Lizzie sunk back in her seat, taking another bite of ice cream to distract her from her anger.
"Sorry," she grumbled sarcastically.
"Sorry," Alyssa said just as sarcastically. "Habit."
"You know what we need?" Josie said, looking toward the living room. "Some music."
"Stream it," Hope said. "You do not want to listen to anything he has. Trust me."
"Bad taste in music?" Lizzie asked. "Finally something you don't adore about him. I thought he was perfect."
"He spent seventy years in the pit and managed to miss all of the advancements in modern music," Hope explained. "He can't stand anything from the past hundred years. And I can't stand anything he likes."
"Weren't you on a road trip with him for, like, a month?" Alyssa asked.
"Pretty much," Hope said.
"What did you listen to?"
"Absolutely nothing," Hope said, laughing.
"I can't imagine a road trip without music," Josie said.
"We talked a lot," Hope said with a little smirk.
"Spare me," Alyssa said as she rose and went to start the music.
"You're going to tell me everything about that MG thing later, right?" Lizzie said quietly, leaning toward Hope.
"I will…" Hope said, smiling softly.
She knew MG really liked Lizzie, but that wasn't why she wanted them together. It had nothing to do with MG. It was all about Lizzie. She wanted her friend to be happy, and she really did think she would find happiness with MG. She watched them together for months now. She knew how much they cared about each other. She also knew Lizzie really was jealous about Alyssa and the date he had this weekend.
She just hadn't figured out why Lizzie was denying her feelings for MG.
One day she would figure it out.
And then she would help her friend be as happy as she was.
Something woke Lizzie.
She squinted and looked around.
Alyssa and Josie were sprawled at opposite ends of the couch with pillows and blankets Hope had retrieved from a hall closet.
They had danced around until they got too tired and settled down to watch the flat screen. Since Clarke also didn't watch many shows, they ended up streaming Cutthroat Kitchen until they all fell asleep.
Lizzie had curled up on the love seat with her pillow and blanket. It wasn't the most comfortable position, but it was better than sleeping on the floor.
She looked to the comfy chair Hope had fallen asleep in but she wasn't there.
That must have been what woke her.
She thought Hope had sobered up a lot before she finally went to sleep, but decided she should check on her anyway.
Stumbling quietly to her feet, she checked to make sure Hope wasn't in the hall bathroom first.
The apartment had two rooms, one Hope said they used for an art studio. Apparently Clarke liked art as much as Hope. The other was their bedroom.
Muttering to herself, she went to the bedroom first, and yep. There she was.
Hope was lying on the bed on the side closest to the door, wrapping her arms and body around a pillow tightly. She was wide awake, staring at the wall.
"Well, he said we couldn't go in here," Lizzie said, "But since it's your room, I guess its fine."
"My stomach hurts," Hope moaned.
"Couldn't possibly be from drinking too much, could it?" Lizzie asked.
Hope groaned and shoved her face into the pillow, "Let me die in peace."
Lizzie sighed and walked around to the other side of the bed.
"You're not going to die," Lizzie said, climbing up on top of the comforter and joining her.
She noticed the painting on the wall now that she was next to Hope. That must be what Hope was staring at.
"Did you get that done in New Orleans?" Lizzie asked, taking in the portrait of Hope and Clarke.
She remembered that day. It had been a good one until they found out the school was attacked. It was also the day MG bought her the earrings she wanted. The earrings she had been given Christmas morning, one of her best gifts ever.
"Aunt Bex did," Hope said. "She had it made for us. She gave it to him before we left for Georgia. Aunt Freya shipped it up here for us."
"Nice," Lizzie said.
"I love him so much," Hope said, clutching his pillow tighter.
"I think the world knows," Lizzie said, amused.
"He said something the other day, and it got me wondering…if something is important to him, it should be important to me too, right?" Hope asked.
"Well, yeah, I guess so," Lizzie said.
"He wants a baby."
"Uh…you're a little young for that," Lizzie said, making a face. "Plus, I didn't think that was possible?"
"He thinks he can. And he knows it's too soon," Hope said. "I told him. I've gotta graduate and college, and... actually I told him not until after Nik has kids."
"In that case, it's very random for you to worry about that right now," Lizzie said.
"I don't want one."
"Okay."
"Ever."
"Well then," Lizzie shrugged. "He'll just have to accept that."
"He will. And he hasn't mentioned it again since. But I know him," Hope said. "I know it's important to him, so…"
"You can't do something you don't want to do, no matter how important it is to him," Lizzie said.
Hope fell silent and Lizzie waited, knowing there had to be more.
"I dreamed of her."
"Who?"
"The perfect little girl," Hope said, her voice small.
"I guess you're just—"
"I think it was a dream," Hope continued. "I hope it was a dream and not a premonition."
"Whatever's meant to be will happen, I guess?" Lizzie said.
"I don't want to have kids, Lizzie," Hope insisted. "I told him that once too. But then when he talked about it, I just put him off. Told him to wait, like, twenty years. I should've just said no."
"Can I ask why not though?" Lizzie asked.
Hope grew quiet again, and again Lizzie waited.
"Every child loses their parents at some point," Hope began. "I know that, though losing mine felt like I was dying. I somehow managed to keep going…But… when I thought Ryan was gone, when you guys wiped the mark away… It hurt. It hurt so much. I don't know how I would've managed to get past that. I don't think I ever would've."
"But he was okay," Lizzie said. "He can't die."
"But she can."
Lizzie finally understood. Hope's greatest deepest fear was losing the people she cared about because she already had lost so much. Fearing the loss of a child had to scare the holy crap out of her. It also made sense why Hope had gotten a little out of control with the alcohol tonight if this was weighing on her mind.
"I couldn't deal with that," Hope said. "I don't want to deal with that."
"Hope," Lizzie said, "Ryan is immortal and you will be too whenever you die. Do the math. I hardly think that gene would skip your kid." She knew she was using his first name, but she was trying to be there for Hope.
"Nothing is ever truly immortal," Hope replied. "There's always a loophole."
"Have you talked to Ryan about this?" Lizzie asked.
"No," she said. "I didn't even tell him about the dream."
"Why not?"
"Because he knows I've had premonitions before," she said. "I didn't want to get his hopes up."
"Just so you know…if it is a premonition," Lizzie said, "I'm totally godmother."
Hope laughed softly despite the emotions threatening to overwhelm her. "Yes, Lizzie, you can totally be godmother to my dream daughter who is a complete and total figment of my imagination."
"Elizabeth is a really nice name," Lizzie pointed out. "Just saying."
"Riley Elizabeth Mikaelson," Hope said. "There ya go."
"Riley?" Lizzie asked.
"Yeah, that was her name in the dream," Hope said softly. "After Ryan and Hayley, my mom."
"Your mom would love that," Lizzie said.
"I know."
"But, Mikaelson?" Lizzie said. "Not Clarke?"
Hope laughed at that. "In the dream, he apparently took my name. That's what made me think it was a dream and not a premonition."
"Definitely a dream then," Lizzie agreed with her. Although…
She thought back to the night Clarke shared his secret plan to defeat Malivore. Clarke called Hope his family, and Marcel said something… "We'll make a Mikaelson out of you yet." If she really thought about it, Clarke's name was something he made up. It wasn't a family name. Clarke didn't even have a family until he met Hope, not a real one.
In short, it made perfect sense for him to want to become a Mikaelson, to become a part of Hope's family. The family he never had.
Hope groaned.
"Your stomach?" Lizzie asked.
"Kill me now," Hope moaned.
"Sorry! You get to live through this," Lizzie said, though she looked around for a trash can. She was pretty sure there was only one way Hope was going to feel any better.
"You know, if I just activated my vampire side, all my worries would go away," Hope said.
"Well, yeah," Lizzie said. "I've never seen a vampire vomit."
"No," Hope said. "I wouldn't have to worry about kids then."
Lizzie frowned, "You mean…"
"That's the theory anyway," Hope said. "Vampires can't have kids, right?"
"But you're a tribrid…"
Hope sighed. "Yeah, the first of my kind and no one really knows anything about me. Least of all me."
"Look," Lizzie said firmly. "You're eighteen and in high school. You shouldn't be thinking that far ahead or making any big life decisions right now. So stop thinking about it. You'll deal with it later with Ryan. And if it turns out to be a premonition, well, just know my goddaughter will be the most protected creature on the planet. I'll see to it myself."
"Okay," Hope said softly. "Thank you."
"Anytime," Lizzie said, laying back.
Lizzie could hear Hope's breathing even out. She was relieved thinking she had finally gone to sleep, but then she heard a soft whisper.
"You probably should hope it wasn't a premonition too," Hope whispered, thinking back to her dream. She remembered Lizzie raising a toast to her with a glass of the darkest red wine…wine that was also in her own glass… wine that wasn't actually wine. "I'm pretty sure you were a vampire."
Lizzie froze.
A shiver ran down her spine and she looked at Hope sharply.
It had to be a dream, Lizzie thought.
Just a dream.
Josie hadn't meant to eavesdrop.
When she woke and found both Hope and Lizzie missing from the living room, she went to search for them.
Hearing them talking, she stopped by the cracked bedroom door because it sounded like Hope was upset. She considered going in but something held her back.
Everything she learned while listening just compounded everything she had already learned that night.
Earlier, she was convinced Hope and Clarke wouldn't last. It just didn't seem possible.
Entering their apartment, she discovered an actual home. Hope and Clarke had made a home together. They weren't just sleeping together or saying they were in love without knowing what that really meant like a lot of teenagers Josie knew.
And now, Hope was talking about her future with Clarke and she was dead serious. Hope may be on the fence about kids, but she didn't even question whether she would still be with Clarke in the future, or even twenty years from now.
She couldn't hear some of the conversation, especially when Hope started whispering, but she heard enough.
Hope and Clarke were pretty much together forever.
And Hope and Lizzie had, once again, left her out.
Maybe she should've just gone on that date with Jade after all.
Or maybe she could still try to be a part of their conversation? Maybe not that moment, but another one? Or maybe Hope would decide to include her too, get her opinion on what she should do?
Making up her mind, she tapped gently on the door, "Guys?"
Lizzie and Hope both jerked up, startled.
The sudden movement wasn't a good thing for Hope.
She reached up and grabbed her mouth, eyes wide.
"Here, here!" Lizzie snatched the trash can and held it up.
Hope grabbed it just in time.
"Go, go!" Lizzie waved her hand, directing her to the private bathroom as she tried not to gag at the sounds Hope was making.
Hope managed to get up and run while clutching the can.
"Uh, sorry?" Josie said, grimacing.
Lizzie sighed.
"Not as sorry as she's going to be in the morning."
They didn't have a choice.
They had to get to the school early and try to sneak in.
Yoga was in thirty minutes and if the four of them didn't show up, they would get in trouble. It wasn't a course that was part of the curriculum, but their absence would still be noted and reported to the headmistress and headmaster.
Hope moved gingerly, still feeling ghastly. Her stomach was completely empty but the thought of food made her want to hurl again. She had no idea how she was supposed to get through yoga feeling like this. She figured she would try to hide behind the other girls and pretend she was doing the movements. Or not.
Lizzie was keeping an eagle eye out. She didn't want to get in trouble, and she didn't want Hope to get grounded again. Mom said she would cover for Hope if she went off campus. She didn't say she would cover if Hope stayed out over night again.
Josie was doing her best to keep up with everyone, but she wasn't feeling it. So many emotions were swirling around and she didn't know how she felt about them. Lack of sleep probably wasn't helping. She trudged along waiting for the moment she could get away and figure out what she would do next.
Alyssa was scared. She couldn't get caught. She went along with the other girls last night, but the reality was if she got caught, that would be her last strike. As much as she disliked Doctor Saltzman, this school was the only thing she had known for years. It was her home. She didn't want to leave.
Alyssa didn't like putting anything to chance, so as they snuck in through a side door, she whispered a spell, hoping it worked.
"What are you four doing?"
They froze.
"Dad!" Lizzie said, face lighting up as if she were happy to see him. "Good morning!"
Alaric looked at all four, frowning.
"They joined me for my morning jog," Alyssa spoke up, pleased to see her spell worked and the glamour was firmly in place.
The other three looked down at themselves, surprised to see they were 'wearing' matching gray sweats and sneakers.
"Uh huh," Alaric glanced around suspiciously. "And since when do all of you girls jog. And is there a reason Hope looks as gray as her sweats?"
"Some bad brie," Lizzie excused. "She's working through it!"
"Right," Alaric said, not believing her.
"Dad?" Josie asked innocently. "Weren't you wearing that yesterday?"
"Oh," he looked down at his own outfit. He was too old to blush, but he did get flustered. "Uh."
"Dad, why would you be walking around this early in the same outfit you were wearing yesterday?" Lizzie asked just as innocently. "You didn't just get in, did you?"
"Didn't you have a date yesterday?" Hope managed to ask, playing along.
"Don't you girls have yoga in twenty minutes?" he asked, completely ignoring their questions and his original suspicions, too embarrassed. "Better hurry!"
"Yes, Daddy," Lizzie and Josie said at the same time.
The girls ran up the stairs and giggled all the way to their rooms.
To be continued…
*** Visit my Instagram (gleechild_fic) for a fun Girls' Night Out video and graphics created just for this chapter! Special thanks to my friend, Anna! IG: (clarke_the_mudman)
