Without Me

Chapter 18

Lizzie was still sulking in her bed when she heard the key in her door. She rolled over, hoping Hope would think she was asleep, but to her dismay, Hope started talking as soon as she was in the room.

"It's the night before the full moon," Hope said, shrugging off her blazer and digging through her dresser for a non-Salvatore School t-shirt. "I'm headed to the Old Mill with the wolves." She smiled at Lizzie's turned back, speaking gently.  "You know … they're a lot more accepting than the witches. Uncontrollable outbursts are kind of a norm over there. Nobody judges. I bet you'd have fun if you come with."

"Thanks," Lizzie murmured. She really was going to have to hang out with the wolves one day, what with Hope and Finch asking her. It even sounded nice. But not tonight. Tonight, she had to prove Landon wrong. "I have other plans though."

"Really?" Hope glowed with pride. She hadn't known Lizzie very long, but she knew enough to know this was a big thing for her.

"Yeah." Lizzie sat up, dropping the heap of blankets into her lap and sighing. "But thanks for the invite."

"Maybe next month?" Hope raised her eyebrows and pulled her t-shirt on.

"Yeah. Yeah, definitely." Lizzie smiled until Hope finally left and she could sink back into her bed miserably, still thinking about what could distract her dad long enough for her to sneak in and ransack his room. It would have to involve something big. She ran scenario after scenario in her head, trying to make it work. It never did, even in her own mind. Every time, she imagined all the ways it could go horribly and completely wrong.

Finally, she had to pull herself out of bed to meet Landon down in the detention room before he could start getting all smug about being right. Her blood boiled just thinking about him smirking and telling Wade he knew she wouldn't show.

"Let's get this over with, Mophead." Lizzie sighed dramatically as she strode into the room.

Landon scrunched up his nose. "Mophead?"

"Yeah, you know -" Lizzie reached up and ruffled the long curls on his head. She tried not to let her surprise at how soft they were show on her face. She also tried to ignore the sudden thought of them snuggling in her bed as she played with his hair that sprang up in her mind. "... Mophead."

Lizzie took her spot at the table, trying to even her breathing. She wasn't thinking about that. It was just an intrusive thought. She could shake it off. She was not thinking of Hope's ex-boyfriend like that.

She was too busy thinking of how to keep her secret and how to find the ascendant. There were much more important things to be thinking about - and she was not thinking about that.