I Hate That I Love You

Chapter 8

"Not quite," Hope smiled. "Meet Kaleb. He's here to apologize to you on my behalf," she gestured in Kaleb's direction.

Kaleb stared at Hope. "What?" he said.

"Go on, Kaleb," Hope said. "Apologize." A menacing tone lay underneath the cheerful act Hope was putting on. And judging from the look on Kaleb's face, he had heard it.

"Hope wanted to say she was sorry. For putting blood in your drink and stuffing you into a car and making you accidentally kill somebody," Kaleb said extremely quickly.

"Whatever," MG said quietly.

"That's good enough for me," Hope shrugged.

She suddenly froze and slid out of the booth, for she had just seen Lizzie Saltzman walk into the bar. Lizzie came in looking quite happy. But then she spotted Ethan Machado standing by the pool table, and her face fell.

Hope watched carefully, wondering whether or not Lizzie would break the promise she had made last night. Lizzie walked over to Ethan, and began to talk to him. Hope used her vampire hearing to eavesdrop in on the conversation.

"I know you've been through hell these past couple of days, and I hate having to do this to you... I'm sorry. But it's just not working out between us," Hope heard Lizzie say.

"I don't understand," Ethan said. "I thought things were going well. Why are you- You know what?" he said, rubbing his forehead with his hand. "Never mind. Just forget it."

"Wait, Ethan-"

"See you around, Lizzie."

And with that, Ethan Machado walked straight out of the Mystic Grill, causing a satisfied smile to crawl onto Hope's face.

Hope glanced at Lizzie, who looked pretty upset about how the breakup had gone. But Lizzie hadn't freaked out as much as Hope had expected her to. Which was disappointing, really. Hope had wanted Lizzie to pay for what she had said to her the previous day.

"There is no way in hell I'm going to let anything serious happen between me and a Mikaelson!"

After everything that had happened the past year, Lizzie had somehow gathered up the nerve to say those words.

Hope took in a shaky breath. Lizzie needed to suffer for saying what she had said.

Besides, it was always fun when Lizzie lost her temper.

"Kaleb," Hope said. "Go compel me a date from the bar."

Kaleb, Jed, and Alyssa all stared at her curiously.

"You heard me," Hope said. "Go."

Still frowning, Kaleb walked over to the bar, and began talking to the first person he bumped into. A college freshman with brown hair and green eyes.

"He's hot, but not my ideal choice," Hope said, when Kaleb came back to their table with the freshman following behind him. "I would have much preferred that blonde one sitting by the bartender," she pointed to a girl with pink lips and braided hair.

"Gee, I'll keep that in mind next time," Kaleb rolled his eyes.

"Sit down and start kissing me," Hope compelled the freshman.

Alyssa watched curiously, while both Kaleb and Jed simultaneously rolled their eyes, clearly disgusted and puzzled as to what Hope was trying to accomplish here.

The freshman began to kiss Hope's shoulder, and made his way up to her neck.

Meanwhile, Hope stared at Lizzie, hoping her own gaze would draw the Gemini witch's attention.

Just as predicated, Lizzie paused for a moment, before glancing Hope's way. And then she froze when she saw the college freshman pressed up against Hope. Lizzie's eyes went from the freshman's hand around Hope's hips, to his lips on Hope's neck, to the smirk Hope was wearing as she stared directly back at her.

Fury boiled up inside of Lizzie, and she stomped her way over to the booth Hope and her stupid friends were sitting at.

"Are you kidding me?" Lizzie yelled, ignoring the looks from the people nearby. "I don't get to date Ethan, but you get to go around doing- whatever the hell this is?" Lizzie shouted.

Kaleb, Jed, and Alyssa all exchanged confused glances.

Hope, however, simply smiled. "Jealous, much?" she said in a mocking voice.

"I can't believe you!" Lizzie said.

"What can I say, Lizzie?" Hope shrugged. "I already told you that you were nothing more to me than a simple fling. It's not my fault if you deluded yourself into believing otherwise."

"That's not fair. You didn't say-"

"I'm sorry," Hope said sarcastically, "But did I make you wake me at twelve thirty at midnight and force you to ask me over?"

"Are you seriously-"

"Stop embarrassing yourself and run back to your adorable little school, Lizzie," Hope said.

Lizzie let out an exasperated scream, and marched straight out of the Mystic Grill.

Stupid. She had been stupid to think that Hope cared about her as much as she did for Hope. Or rather, it had been stupid to care about Hope in the first place. Stupid of her to actually fall for the Original Tribrid, the legacy of the Mikaelson family. Stupid of her to break up with Ethan, when he was a really nice person, unlike that redheaded bitch who only cared about hurting others.