thisCultMakesMeHappy: Thank you! The mundane, non-plot related conversations are my favourite ones to write lol
Guest: No ass kicking unfortunately XD
Chapter 8: In which Bloom is unsuccessful, but Stella is very successful
Bloom was about thirty seconds away from throwing up the toast and fruit she'd had that morning from the nerves. It had taken Avalon a measly two weeks to come up with a plan of attack, and now that it was here, Bloom was… well, having doubts wasn't quite the right word. The thought that it wouldn't work and how she'd handle that had plagued her mind all through supper yesterday, through the night and then breakfast this morning. Worse than those worries were the ones that would pop into her mind every now and then asking what she would do if it did work, and she hated everything she learned. Memories of the discovery about her fake connection to the Ancestral Witches played on a loop in her mind. She could still remember the way it felt like the ground had fallen out from under her as her mind had raced and reeled trying to make sense of the discovery, and the way Sky had looked at her, as unsure as her of how he was supposed to react.
Most of the girls had been supportive, if not a little confused about how exactly this was supposed to work. Bloom had no answers for them, but that hadn't stopped them from giving her their support. All except Tecna. The technological fairy hadn't given much explanation besides Avalon giving her a bad feeling. Bloom didn't get it, and from the looks of it, neither did the other girls, so Bloom ignored Tecna's commentary. Avalon was helping her; what kind of bad guy would waste their time on that?
Bloom took several deep breaths as she stood in the nearly empty hallway outside Avalon's office, waiting for him to open the door. Her only accompanier was one of the pixie pets that lived with Concorda in the archive. Now that she knew they existed, Bloom had seen them quite often making their way through Alfea's corridors mostly unnoticed by the other students. The pets were quite charming and would usually greet her happily when she acknowledged them – when she wouldn't be spotted. Better, though, was that it was very likely the only thing in this world that she knew about that her classmates didn't.
Avalon welcomed her into the office, thanking her once again for her work. The cleaning had done the space a load of good. Her first time there, the office had felt cramped. Now it was still full, but it felt lived in and used instead of downright chaotic. It had taken her a bit longer than she'd expected; it turned out that under his books, Avalon had even more books. When she'd started cleaning, she had been certain that the largest collection of anything she'd ever see was Stella's closet. Now, she wasn't so sure.
He ushered her onto the blue couch that she'd discovered under seven stuffed boxes of – unsurprisingly – books. She smoothed her pants down as she took her seat, watching as Avalon made his way behind the computer and turned on some classical music. Bloom looked around the room in confusion as the orchestra filled the space.
"I believe that, for this to work, you need to be as relaxed as possible. I thought some calming music might help you achieve that state" Avalon explained as he pulled out a box that had been hidden away in his armoire and began to riffle through it. "Oh, would you like some tea? That's quite calming."
"No thank you" Bloom shook her head awkwardly. For mid-October, it was still quite hot out. Or at least, she was quite certain it was. She had realized when she and Sky were searching for Daphne that the flame kept her warm even when it wasn't. It had been even more evident on Domino when she felt like her entire body was going numb from cold. She hadn't ever experienced cold that much, but she had never imagined it could be so miserable.
Avalon pulled one of the seats that sat in front of his desk closed to her. He leaned in enough that she could see the blue that flecked his green eyes. A pendulum, white in colour with a sky and navy blue center, was raised between their faces. Avalon instructed her to keep her focus on it and follow it with her eyes. He explained that the point was to put her in a trance and ask her questions to get her to remember hidden memories or details. Bloom inquired about what kind of details she might give, but Avalon couldn't give her a concrete example. She had to remember, he said, that she was a baby when Domino was destroyed, so her memories wouldn't be the most detailed; she might get bits of a lullaby or the colour of her favourite stuffed animal at best.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes" Bloom affirmed, trying to sound more ready than scared shitless – which she was.
The pendulum swung right and left… and right and left… and right and left… and right and… she forgot to get that book from the library for her ethics assignment. Pendulum. Right and left… right and left… right and left… right and lef… what was for supper today? Bloom remembered reading the menu earlier this week but couldn't for the life of her remember what was on it. Pendulum! Right and left… right and left… right and left… right and le… Had Musa finished her half of their potions assignment? PENDULUM! Right and left… right and left… right and left… ri… what had Stella been so excited about this morning? She had been talking about something that Bloom thought she seemed excited about, but she couldn't for the life of her remember. She'd been too distracted by her upcoming session with Avalon. There'd been something ab-
"Bloom?" Avalon's voice cut through her thoughts. He watched her with a raised brow, the pendulum now sitting in his lap. She looked down at her own lap sheepishly. Focusing had always been hard when she was not actively thinking about something. Studying was fine, but when she had to empty her mind, it was like her thoughts all came barging in, begging for her to pay attention to them. The few times she's attempted to meditate had always ended in disappointment because she just couldn't control her thoughts.
"Sorry…"
"I assume we're not going to get very far this session," he stood up, placing the pendulum in its box and pushing the chair back to its original position. "It's unorthodox for something that isn't related to a class, but I'm going to assign you some homework. Meditate for increasing intervals every night. Start at a minute, then two, then five, ten and so on until you can reach a good thirty minutes."
That was pointless. She couldn't meditate. Not that Bloom would say that out loud. Not if she wanted Avalon's help.
"I know it seems challenging, but if we want this to work, you need to trust me. There's only so much I can do if you're having trouble focusing."
"You need to" Cecilia insisted for the twelfth time. Musa has brought up the Red Fountains show in a few months and Cecilia had immediately jumped on her about performing. It wasn't that she didn't want to, she was just so nervous. She'd had a lot of time to think about it since Faragonda had announced it a month and a half earlier which meant a lot of time to think of every conceivable way it could go badly. If she was going to perform – her first step to attempting to work towards a career in the music industry – she wanted to do an original song. She wanted this foray into performing to be her, truly and authentically her. Only problem was that the idea of performing one of her own songs and baring her soul to people that knew her made her want to throw herself into the nearest deep body of water and spend the rest of eternity at the bottom of it.
"Cee."
"M."
Musa shifted on the couch, crossing and uncrossing her legs before tucking them under her. "I don't kn-"
"Yeah, yeah. You don't know if you're ready, bla bla bla. I know. But you are. I am one hundred fucking – no - thousand percent certain that you are." Cecilia glared at her through the hologram, piercing green eyes sharply focused on her own. "Bitch you've got this."
"I've only ever done karaoke…"
"And you've blown the roof off every goddamn time. You. Have. This. And I will be right there."
"You'd come back to Magix for me? You must really love me."
"Bitch you know I do."
The dorm door opened, stopping Musa's next sentence. She didn't want the girls jumping in with Cecilia and pushing her to perform like she knew they would. Bloom walked in looking significantly less excited than she had when she'd left, so Musa made space for her at the end of the couch, where the redhead dropped dramatically and rested her head on the back of the couch, eyes closed.
"You okay, B?"
Bloom mumbled something that vaguely sounded like a no, so Musa said goodbye to Cecilia and hung up immediately, grateful to have a way out of the conversation. She knew Cecilia, and the girl wasn't going to let up anytime soon. It was very likely that tomorrow she'd wake up with a slew of texts insisting that she needed to do it.
Musa offered Bloom some of the chips she'd left on the coffee table which Bloom immediately helped herself to. Crumbs landed on her baby blue tank top that the redheaded didn't bother brushing away. Musa was inquiring as to what happened just as Stella came prancing in. Bloom explained that she had been with Avalon trying to jog some locked memories – which Musa already knew – but she hadn't been able to focus. "He thinks I need to try meditating..."
"I'll meditate with you" Stella offered, coming up behind the couch to hug Bloom.
"You know meditating requires a lot of concentration" Musa pointed out "You can barely stay focused in class when the subject is actually interesting."
"Whatever, meditating is a terrific way to fight wrinkles, so I'll make it work. And to support you, of course, Bloom."
"Thanks, Stell."
"Anytime. But just not right now. I have to go see Brandon."
"OH FUCK!" Bloom jumped up with more energy than Musa had seen her exhibit in weeks. "I completely forgot they got back yesterday."
Bloom bolted into her room; Musa assumed to call Sky. She found herself wondering how Riven had fared on the mission. She thought he'd have done great given that he managed to survive in a witch dump which, she thought, must be harder to survive in than the woods. Or at least, significantly less pleasant.
As Bloom turned into the room and out of sight, Flora came out. She had on a simple paid of emerald slacks and an ivory t-shirt with her long hair tied up in a ponytail. The nature fairy chuckled as Bloom searched the pile of clothes on her bed for her cell phone, asking no one in particular where the fuck it had gone. Before any of them could offer to call her, she shouted triumphantly and slammed the door closed.
"Where are you going, Flo?"
"I have a few errands to run. I was going to start working on a new potion but I'm missing a key ingredient." Flora answered Musa's question before going into detail about a potion she's been working on to help the soil in the greenhouse. Half of it was gibberish to her, but she just smiled and nodded. She loved Flora to bits, but she was not down for a whole class about plants and plant-relates terminology.
"What a lame reason to go shopping. Though I suppose any reason to go shopping is a good one."
"That's not a very nice thing to say" Flora hmphed, a pout forming on her lips. Stella threw her arms around the nature fairy, pulling her in so quickly that Flora almost lost her balance. "Oh, you know I love you. It doesn't matter to me what a huge nerd you are."
"She means that in a good way."
"I know" Flora laughed, returning Stella's hug. Her eyes darted to the time on the clock as she pulled out of the blonde's embrace. "Now if you'll excuse me, I don't want to miss my bus."
Flora practically ran to the door, leaving Musa and Stella alone in the common room. Musa made some comment about how Flora must have already been running late, but Stella ignored it. The princess turned towards her, a sly smile that put Musa ill at ease on her face. She leaned on the back of the couch, her elbows resting on the cushioning and her chin cupped in her intertwined fingers. Her eyes sparkled with mischief and Musa considered making some generic excuse to get away from whatever she was about to say.
"You know the guys are back today."
"Yes, you mentioned. Shouldn't you be getting dressed? Brandon must be expecting you in a few hours."
"You should call Riven. This gives you a great reason to talk to him!"
"Why would I do that?"
"Oh? Are you finally over him?"
"Yes" she lied for the she-wasn't-sure-how-many'th time. Stella had inquired about Riven far too many times in the last month and a half, and every time Musa insisted she was over Riven. She didn't even know why she bothered lying. Maybe it was that a small part of her hoped that by denying them they would just disappear.
"Really? Really, really? Because last year we all thought he was fawning over Darcy, and you were still weak for him."
"Time apart over the summer really made the feelings fade away."
"And seeing him didn't bring them back?" Stella continued, ignoring the glare she received from Musa.
"Nope."
"Alright" the blonde shrugged, pushing herself off the back of the couch and starting to head towards her room. "I'll keep my eye out for a cute guy then. Or girl. You know, since you're emotionally available again."
"Being available doesn't mean I'm intere-" Musa shouted after her, only for Stella to close her bedroom door mid-sentence. "For fuck's sake."
Flora felt bad lying to the girls. She'd rushed out of the dorm so fast, hoping that Musa and Stella took it as worrying about missing her bus, because she was about to break. It wasn't all a lie though; she did have a bus to catch. But not to downtown Magix. To Red Fountain.
She had run into Riven while actually running that errand yesterday. He was buying stuff for his room with his school stipend. Apparently, the school's insurance didn't cover collateral damage due to war, so all the students had to replace the material's lost themselves. Students, like Riven and Brandon, from less wealthy backgrounds had been given some money to spend on necessities, though according to Riven it wasn't anywhere near enough. For reasons that she couldn't quite explain, she offered to help him get settled in. When asked why, she'd been honest with him that she thought he needed someone to be at ease with, that understood what he'd been through in one way or another. She thought he'd tell her to fuck off, but he'd accepted her help.
He was alone when she got to the guy's new dorm. She had never seen the old one, but she assumed the new one was a major upgrade regardless of how nice the old one may have been. A sleek new leather sofa sat in the middle of the room, its four accompanying chairs on both sides. A new flat screen tv on the wall in front of it was playing a soccer game that Riven must have been watching. He turned off the TV and motioned for her to follow into his room.
"I didn't know you liked sports" she commented as she passed the couch. "Do you play?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Team sports aren't really my thing." Flora tried to argue that he was part of a team at Red Fountain, and he seemed to do fine there, so how much different could team sports be? She wasn't the most athletic person, but she and Clementine used to participate in amateur volleyball games every summer and she'd found it quite fun.
Riven shot her a look that she took as a request for her to shut up. He may have agreed to let her come over, but getting him to open up to her was going to be a challenge nonetheless. Stubborn was not a word that was often used to describe Flora – people usually opted for sweet or caring – but she knew she could be when she was certain about something. In this case, she was certain that Riven needed someone to confide in, to open up to. Having someone brainwash you couldn't be easy, and she worried he would implode if he tried to keep it all repressed.
As she followed him into the bedroom, she considered her approach. There was no use in asking outright because he would shut her down. Trying to force him to open up would also result in her being shut down and, very likely shut out from him entirely. Her only option was to befriend him and wait for him to feel comfortable. And maybe, just maybe, she would get him to open up bit by bit here and there. He was a smart guy, somewhere along the way, he'd figure out that she cared about him and just wanted to be a shoulder he could lean on.
Riven walked over to the far side of the room where a single bed with a black blanket tightly tucked into it sat. Flora walked around a stack of boxes and then some at the entrance of the room. The stipend must have been more than she thought. Though Riven didn't seem the type to treat any considerable amount of money as peanuts. "Wow. You must be a really good bargain hunter" she said, gesturing to the multiple boxes. "We should go thrift shopping."
"It's not all mine."
"Oh? Are you rooming with Timmy again?" Flora absentmindedly picked up the book on top of the boxes. She flipped through it quickly dropping it as a voice from the door behind her spoke up.
"Actually, it's mine."
Helia approached them, bending down to pick up the book, his long dark hair tumbling over his shoulder as he did so. He placed the book back on top of the box as Flora apologized profusely. Helia offered her a smile. She returned it, praying that the flush burning her cheeks wasn't evident.
"No need to apologize. I have nothing top secret in here." He picked up the top box and placed it on the bed closest to the door, before returning to the stack and opening up the second box. The box was packed to the very edges with a variety of books – from what she could see, all sketchbooks. "What are you doing here?"
"She bullied her way into helping me organize my shit" Riven snarked from across the room. Flora turned to him; eyes wide in surprise. She'd completely forgotten he was there. Besides having answered – in a way – Helia's question, he didn't seem to be paying them much mind. Instead, he sat on the floor with his back to them, organizing his bookshelf.
"Bullied?" Helia chuckled. He looked up at her from his box with a smile plastered on his face. "And you had seemed so sweet."
"It's all pretense" Riven returned. Flora glared at Riven. Did he want Helia thinking she was a mean person?
"I am sweet" Flora mumbled so low she was sure even the dust particles in her immediate bubble hadn't heard.
Beside her, Helia commented that he hadn't realized they were so close. Flora wanted to say that they weren't – what if he got the wrong impression – but Riven shrugged the comment off. Maybe because she was a tad annoyed with him for making her seem like someone she wasn't to Helia, she decided to poke the bear. "I like to think I'm his second favourite of us girls."
"Oh? Who's the first?" Helia's eyebrow raised in intrigue, part of it hiding behind his long, loose fringe. Riven finally turned to look at them, his own brows furrowed and nostrils flaring. She could practically see the smoke coming out of his ears. All because of one little reference to his, she might even go so far as to say, being in love with Musa. He'd never admit it – he barely admitted to even liking her – but Flora was certain of it. He looked at her like she walked on stars – Brandon looked at Stella the same way.
"Sorry. Clearly none of my business." Helia backed off, completely unphased by Riven's death glare. He waved the sketchbook in his hand, turning to both of them as he spoke. "I'm just going to grab the sketchbook I came for and go for my walk. Riven. Flora, lovely to see you again."
Flora watched as he walked away, wondering why the universe would do this to her. She had been content to have a fleeting crush on Helia and never see him again. Now he had, what, re-enrolled at Red Fountain and joined the group of specialists she saw the most often? Had Aisha cursed her when she said that Flora couldn't be sure she would never see the artist again? Aisha would claim she'd blessed her. It didn't matter that Flora didn't want a boyfriend. Or, anyways, that's what she tried to convince herself of when she caught herself daydreaming of Helia during class or lying awake at night wondering what he was doing.
Riven wasn't opposed to sharing a room with Helia – the guy seemed nice enough – he would have just preferred a single room, that was all. He didn't have much stuff – a few pieces of clothes, his uniforms, and some books – but he would have enjoyed the solitude.
He returned his attention to placing the books, remembering when he and Timmy had first moved in together. The redheaded boy had been surprised that Riven liked to read – it didn't suit him apparently. As a kid, though, it was one of the only things he could do when he wasn't getting in trouble. In the mid-summer heat waves, libraries were one of the few places that he could exist for free that had air-conditioning and water. The books were where he'd escape his shitty reality; they were the only place he found any comfort. He'd spent his life collecting books for cheap – at garage sales, library rummage sales, secondhand stores, etc. Going back to Red Fountain last year to find all of them torn apart and covered in the residue of whatever those things had been crushing. Like the only thing that had brought him any comfort after his mom fucked off had been taken from him; Darcy's final fuck you, if you will.
Saladin would never admit it, but he had a soft spot for him. He had to. Why else would he have spent some of his own money buying Riven new books? Including The Firelands – a poorly written adventure series that had been his favourite as a kid. He turned Dragonborn over in his hand as Flora spoke. "Why was he here?"
He cocked his brow at her curiously as a chuckle escaped his throat. She was red, like she'd been running. Or like she was angry? Did she not like Helia? "You don't need to hate the guy; he's not so bad."
"No, no… I…"
"I don't actually know what he's doing here." Riven replied thoughtfully. The one time he'd met the artist before they became dorm mates, he'd been insistent that he didn't like Red Fountain's teachings. Riven had only had two brief conversations with him since then – one to determine who took which bed, and one that consisted of them saying good morning to each other and nothing else – so he couldn't fathom what could convince him to rejoin a school he hated so much. "All I know is I had a single room and now I don't."
"What?"
"All of the dorms were built with three rooms, up to six people. We're a squad of four" Riven explained, a bit condescendingly he realized, but whatever. "Brandon and Sky have to share. Timmy and I both had singles, but Helia showed up and we had to choose who got the single."
"So why Timmy?"
"He has all his computer shit. I've had to share with him, and it takes up a fuckton of space." He was not exaggerating. When he'd shared a room with Timmy, the spectacled boy's computer junk had found its way into every corner. At some point, he'd laid down for a nap after a particularly rough training session and found a hard drive under his pillow. "Thought I'd spare Helia."
"That's nice of you."
"I might come out winning too. Helia's pretty quiet so far. Might actually be nice. Timmy kept talking to me."
"You mean like friends do?"
"I guess" he shrugged. If he was being honest, he didn't know what friends did. He'd never really had any. Not unless he counted the librarian that took pity on him sometimes and brought him food – he wasn't sure how he'd felt about her – or the old drunk man that would force the others to move so Riven could sit by the garbage can fire on the colder nights.
"Would you not consider Timmy a friend?"
Riven considered his answer. The book in his hand made its way onto the shelf and he picked up the next book in the box, turning it over in his hands. "I think Timmy was being friendly because he was stuck rooming with me, not because he wants to be my friend"
"I think you're being a negative Nancy."
"Think what you want. I'm just being realistic" he shrugged. Flora shook her head, giving him a look he couldn't quite decipher. She made her way over to the bags at the foot of his bed and started to unpack some school supplies. She set up his desk mostly wordlessly, which suited him just fine. He didn't particularly want the conversation, but he wasn't opposed to Flora's presence. She was calming; easy to be around.
"Why do you keep tackling me?" Brandon asked as he dusted himself off.
"To let you know how happy I am to see you." They hadn't seen each other in close to two weeks, which felt like an eternity. So, sue her if when she saw him walking towards the ground level gate of Red Fountain, she'd charged ahead and maybe sort of tackled him. She'd missed his smile and his voice and the smell of his aftershave. She'd missed him.
"And your way of doing that is by turning into a football player?"
Stella crossed her arms over her chest and turned away from him. "I can stop being happy to see you if that's what you prefer" she threatened.
"No, no. If football tackles are how you show love, I'm more than happy to be on the receiving end." Brandon's arms wrapped around her frame to pull her tightly to his chest. She turned in his arms, wrapped her own arms around his torso, and rested her head on his shoulder. His lips pressed against her temple before a low laugh escaped them. "I'll just have to get a lot of bruising salve from the infirmary…"
Stella glowered at him before breaking into a laugh of her own. Maybe she could take it easy on the tackling – she very well couldn't have him bruising his beautiful body because of her. She'd just have to find somewhere else to channel her enthusiasm at seeing him, like kisses; a million lipstick stains were much better.
Brandon pulled away and took her hand. She walked hand in hand alongside him, sparing him glances every now and then as he told her how happy he was to see her – that the last two weeks without her had sucked. Stella smiled at him, wondering to herself how she'd gotten so lucky to land someone so amazing; so sweet and good.
"… without heari- oh we're gonna be turning left here" Brandon said, pointing to the end of the hall where an elevator in the main interior quad would take them to the floor that the guys' new room was on.
"Yes, I know. I could have made my way up to the dorm by myself. It hasn't been that long since the showcase when I had to… cheer you up." Stella gave him a coy smile and suggestive wink, remembering how after his loss to Devin at the showcase, they'd headed back up to his room for a quick cuddle session. It had been a shame that intermission only lasted fifteen minutes; Stella could have stayed naked in his bed, curled into his side for all of eternity.
"You know I think I could use more cheering up." Brandon returned her flirty smile. The hand that had been holding hers found its way around her waist rather handsily, sliding its way up and down her hip.
"I thought you wanted a quiet night" she teased. Brandon shrugged playfully and pulled her around the corner. It was only when they turned the corner that Stella realized she couldn't have found her way to the dorm. The last time she'd been had been from the upstairs exterior quad. This time, Brandon had met her by the old ruins – what remained of them – that served as Red Fountain's gates. He'd brought her through a door at the base of the corkscrew building that led to the interior courtyard. Here, benches sat along pebble-lined walkways around the perimeter of the room. A tall tree in the center of the space almost reached the beyond high ceilings, adding colour to the otherwise very beige and brown room.
Stella observed the students as they walked to the opposite end where the elevators would take them up to the dorms in the center of the corkscrew. Some of the boys sat with their girlfriends – one particularly adorable couple was sharing a chocolate bar – others with their friends, laughing loudly at whatever stupid joke had been made. One in particular caught Stella's eye. He wasn't what she would call hot, but he had a cute, friendly face with shining amber eyes and jet-black hair that shone brightly when it hit the light.
Stella excused herself and started to walk towards the boy who sat near the base of the tree hunched over a book with headphones on. Brandon grabbed her hand and pulled her back, an inquisitive look on his face. "You're not gonna go flirt with another guy, are you?"
"Jealous?"
"Hmph..no. You won't succeed anyways."
"Oh?"
"Jared's got his eye on Musa – he asked Timmy about her a few days ago." Brandon's reply seemed reluctant – like he wasn't sure this was information he wanted to share. Stella's jaw dropped.
"What?!" she cried so loudly that several nearby specialists turned to look at her, many with questioning looks, others with annoyed glares. She shot them all a dirty look before returning her attention to Brandon at a slightly lower volume. "Why didn't you tell me?! We could have done something about it!"
"We could...? It didn't seem like valuable information cause... Riven." He whispered the magenta-haired specialists name like he might appear at any instant and learn that Musa had a massive crush on him. Like it was a secret. The girl had turned into a lovesick puppy any time he was around; always looking at him with wide eyes and smiling when he spoke to her. She tried to keep it under wraps – which, for the most part she did quite well - but she couldn't fool Stella.
"No, no, she insists she's over him." And Stella genuinely believed it – mostly. Musa had barely spared Riven a glance since the beginning of the year. They may have made peace at the end of last year, but Stella didn't see anything beyond that happening. Musa's pride had been wounded and she didn't seem the type to forget that, much less forgive it.
Brandon's face was uncertain, and Stella felt a slight smug pride at knowing she was the closer friend – the one Musa had chosen to update on the Riven situation. "She does?"
"She does. It's better this way, anyways." She walked away before he could give her any arguments. It was better this way.
Stella walked over to the boy. He paid her no mind, too wrapped up in his book or his music. A heavy drum beat blared from his chunky bright blue headphones and Stella had to stop herself rolling her eyes at how good she was at spotting guys for Musa. She knew exactly three things about him - his name, his crush on Musa and his enthusiasm for music – and already she knew he'd be great for Musa.
Even when she planted her feet directly in his line of sight, he ignored her. Stella cleared her throat loudly but got no reaction. This time, she rolled her eyes for real. This stupid boy had a gorgeous girl standing in front of him wanting his attention and he completely ignored her. He was doomed. She reached down and yanked the headphones off his head, startling him. "Hi there."
"Hello" he said, blinking up at her in confusion. His voice had a sweet tone to it, like liquid caramel. The boy reached up for his headphones, but Stella offered her hand instead. He seemed a bit taken aback, but quickly adjusted, shaking her hand warmly and introducing himself. He was well-raised; she liked that.
"Stella. Whatcha reading?"
He offered her space beside him which she reluctantly took. She rested her butt on her ankles, keeping her light pink skirt off the dirty ground. Beside her, Jared sighed, flipping shut the heavy book in his hands so she could see the title. "I have to write a report about simulation chambers but I'm having the hardest time finding first person accounts"
"Is that so?" She smiled as she spoke. This was so easy. It was like the universe was rewarding her for trying to help a friend. "You know… I know someone who's been in one."
Jared perked up quickly, his enthusiastic smile lighting up his face. He still had chubby baby cheeks that made his smile all the more endearing.
"You might know her." Jared's features turned inquisitive, and Stella wanted to cry tears of joy. He was so freely expressive, there was no way his interest in Musa could ever be questioned. There would be no agonizing over how he felt about her, no thoughts about his interest fading. A relationship with him would be so easy on Musa's heart, unlike whatever the fuck had gone on with tall, dark, and grumpy last year. Stella had been convinced that when Riven had shown up under their balcony last year something would happen – they would admit to being crazy about each other, they would jump into each other's arms as it started raining like this was some cheesy romance movie – instead, Riven said something she couldn't hear properly, Musa answered woodenly and Riven stalked off. She was done with waiting for Riven to prove himself good enough for Musa; he couldn't even admit to liking her for heaven's sake!
"Musa. She sang at the welcome dance," Stella said casually, pretending she had no idea of his crush on Musa. The way his entire body reacted to her name – or the blood that rushed to his face turning him brighter than someone who'd spent all day in the bright Solarian sun – made it quite obvious that he knew exactly who Musa was. "I can get her to help you. Maybe, say, over a meal."
"Oh, yeah… I saw her. She's amazing! I mean, an amazing singer..." He tried to play it cool, bless him.
"And pretty."
"Yeahhhh…" he replied dreamily.
"Glad you agree. She's free Monday. You should pick her up at Alfea at 5:30."
"Shouldn't you check with her first?"
"Don't worry about it" Stella dismissed, knowing full well that Musa's only plan for tomorrow was to do homework. It was all any of her friends did these days. They were so focused on winning that damn trip that they'd become boring. "I'll take care of Musa; you take care of food."
She suggested he pack a picnic. It was low-key and casual, while still being super cute and romantic. Musa would like it. And she wouldn't bitch Stella out like she had after her first date last year when Stella had royally fucked up.
"Yeah, okay. Thanks!" Jared jumped up and sped off, bouncing up the stairs next to the elevator two steps at a time. Stella stood up and dusted herself off.
"How'd it go?" he asked as he pressed the elevator button.
"Great!" Stella smiled brightly. Brandon gave her an unsure smile, but she brushed it off. He would see once Musa was head over heels for a new guy that it was for the best. "By the way, I could absolutely have gotten Jared's number if I wanted to. I could get any guy's number."
"Of course you could, sunshine. Just like I could get any girls."
"Is that a challenge?" She demanded. The cocky grin on his face lit a fire in her stomach. Desire and determination danced in her, fueling the idea of ripping his clothes off in the elevator and cherishing his every inch. She fixed him with a gaze that could be read as lusty or taunting, which it was.
He stepped into the elevator with her and closed the doors behind him before anyone could jump in with them. His gaze matched her own, daring her to kiss him; to bite his bottom lip in that way that made him groan and tug his hair. He bent to kiss her shoulder and tease her as he kissed that spot where her neck and shoulder met that turned her into putty. Then, he pulled away. Not so far that she couldn't feel his breath on her neck as he whispered: "Not much of a challenge if I crush you like a bug."
"You don't need to act so macho, Brandon." Stella pushed him back so she could look him in the eye as she spoke in a sickeningly sweet voice. "There's no shame in losing."
Brandon glared at her momentarily, before wrapping his hand around the nape of her neck and pulling her into a kiss. Two weeks apart, two weeks of missing each other and wanting each other had left them desperate. Brandon gripped her waist and her head, pulling her as close to him as physically possible as her hands roamed over every inch of his body, enjoying every groove of his form. His lips on hers were feverish and vicious, and soon his tongue was dancing with hers as he backed her up against the wall and pinned her there.
A bell rang as the elevator came to a stop – three floors short of theirs – and the doors opened to reveal Saladin waiting. The two lovebirds pulled apart and fixed themselves up as much as they could. Saladin's eyes flickered between them, but he said nothing. Instead, he turned his back on them and selected his floor.
Stella could feel her heart beating in her chest, adrenaline and nerves coursing through her. She ran her hands through her long locks over and over as the elevator continued its slow climb. Saladin cleared his throat and she worried he would say something, but he didn't. Beside her, Brandon stood at attention, arms fixed firmly behind his back. Ever the good soldier, he said nothing and moved not an inch, but she could see the sweat running down his neck, smudging the trace of her lipstick. She could feel his heart beating as strongly as hers.
When the elevator reached their floor, they stepped out wordlessly. It was only when the door closed behind them that they broke out into laughter. Brandon took her hand and led her to the new dorm. Much like last time she'd been here, she had no time to look around. Brandon pulled her to him, kissing her desperately as he pushed her backwards into his room.
The door hadn't even closed behind them, and she was already pulling his sweater off. Her hands trailed down his chest as his slid down under her skirt and squeezed her ass. She was in the process of fighting his pant button when the back of her knees hit the bed and she fell onto it. Brandon made quick work of his button and zipper, stepping out of his pants before straddling her and pressing her against the bed as he kissed her neck.
...
Stella looked up at Brandon from where her head rested on his chest. She turned onto her stomach and crossed her hands under chin, resting them on his chest. She wished she could burn the way he looked in her memory. The small, satisfied smile on his face mixed so delicately with the loving look and disheveled hair. He was so beautiful.
"So that challenge..."
"Really?" he laughed. "You're asking to get your gorgeous ass kicked, Stell."
Stella scoffed in mock indignation, insisting that he knew he was going to lose and reiterating that there was no shame in that. It appeared, though, that his front was not so much a front. He genuinely thought he could win and that made Stella even more determined to prove him wrong.
They spent the next twenty minutes establishing rules: They could only compete when they were together – numbers collected separately wouldn't count. Dates were off limits, no matter how much the waitress flirted with him. Exes and enemies were not allowed either, Stella insisted, knowing full well Amaryl would do anything to make Stella lose, even if it was just some silly competition.
"I would never take that sea toad's number. I would sooner take the phone number of a rot monster" Brandon declared. Stella chuckled happily, leaning up to plant a kiss over his delicious lips.
"I've missed you so much, pumpkin" she whispered, leaning her forehead against him before abruptly pulling back. "Oh no, that doesn't work."
"Why not?"
"Reminds me of Mirta" she giggled. Nothing against the witch-turned-fairy, but Stella didn't particularly want to think of her every time she thought of her boyfriend. Her gorgeous, sweet, funny, perfect boyfriend.
"Oh yeah… How's she doing after transferring to Alfea?"
"No idea. I haven't really spoken to her." She knew Flora had; the nature fairy had spent half an hour going on about how she hoped that Mirta's transfer went well. Something about how the girls were being mean to her for being a former witch, but there was hope because someone had been nice to her. Stella wasn't exactly sure; her hair hadn't been cooperating that day and she had been busy trying to tame it. "How was the mission?"
"Not as bad as I'd feared. Sky and Riven managed to not be complete dicks to each other the whole time. I was really surprised by Timmy, though. The guy did really well, which is surprising for someone that I just can't picture camping."
Stella tried to picture Timmy beside a tent or a campfire, but she just couldn't. The image looked like a poor edit in her mind. "That is surprising. In my mind Timmy exists in three places: at a computer, in a library and behind the wheel of the ship."
She had to admit she didn't know Timmy well enough to make any real judgments about him, but she knew enough to know that camping would not be his scene, much less wilderness survival.
"That boy is truly full of surprises. He never ceases to impress me."
Stella smiled at him lovingly. Her hand reached up to brush his fringe away from his eyes and trailed down to caress his cheek. "I love that you always see the good in people" she told him earnestly. It was one of the things she admired most about him. She knew she tended to be overcritical, with others, but especially herself. Brandon wasn't. He was even overly forgiving of people's faults and mistakes. He always found that one little redeeming quality in them.
"I do?"
"Yeah. Even when you're talking about Riven – you know, king asshole Riven – you still defend him or find good things to say. He's brave or loyal or whatever, when we all know the truth is he's a colossal dick that'll never love anyone more than himself."
"That's hardly fair. Riven has his fair share of negative qualities but he is far from being- "
"See!" she exclaimed.
Brandon opened his mouth to argue but reconsidered. He scratched the top of his head, shaking his thick chestnut hair. "… yeah, I guess I should cool it?"
"Absolutely not. I love that about you." Stella repeated, readjusting so she was once again nestled into his side. She buried her head into the crook of his neck and gave him a gentle peck. When she spoke again, her voice was barely above a whisper. "I love everything about you... How did I get so lucky?"
"I'm the lucky one" Brandon insisted, curling his fingers under her chin to pull her into a kiss. The arm wrapped around her shoulders pulled her closer to him. His lips were gentle at first but built in intensity by the second. Soon, Stella found herself with her arms wrapped around his neck, lost in the kiss.
When both of them needed to breathe, they pulled away. Brandon laid on his side, facing her. He smiled at her as his hand brushed a strand of hair from her face. She returned his smile, wishing she could always feel this happy. Stella closed her eyes as Brandon leaned forward and kissed her forehead, whispering: "I love you, princess."