prom queen, 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐄𝐋

𝟎𝟔.

She can't call her father to tell him about her grade, to tell him that the film school that he was so against turned out to be the right place for her. She can't call him to hear his slightly impressed tone because he was dead.

The almost unremovable smile she had on her face two seconds ago faltered as she sat down on her bed and placed her phone beside her. She shook her head at herself, trying to remember all of the times her father was the worst person on Earth for her. All of those months with him being gone, she turned grief into anger.

Beverly wouldn't like to admit it but she did have a few good memories with her father. They were rare but they were there and remembering them hurt her.

She took in a deep breath and walked out of her room, taking the other stairs and turning around from the yard to get into the kitchen. Hayley let out a soft gasp as Beverly opened the kitchen back door and walked in, "Morning."

"Morning...you okay?" Hayley asked, frowning as she gave Beverly a once over, "You look a little—"

"Miserable, depressed, angry? All of the above?" Beverly sighed, raising an eyebrow.

The pregnant werewolf shrugged her shoulders, trailing off, "I was going to say exhausted..."

The blonde witch forced a smile onto her lips, "Oh, well. Life is exhausting," She walked around the island, opening the cupboard, and pulled out a pack of oatmeal cereal just as Elijah walked in, finding Hayley rooting through the fridge to make herself breakfast.

Elijah leaned on the doorway and smiled at her, "Good morning."

Hayley smiled back, greeting, "Hey."

Beverly paused, looking between the two of them before rolling her eyes, "Ugh, milk. People, milk is a necessity."

Rebekah entered through the back door, dragging a trashcan behind her as Hayley agreed, sighing, "Listen, I know we're the only ones in this house that actually drink milk, but would it kill any of you to make sure it's on the grocery list?"

"Speaking of, add bleach," Rebekah said before stomping through the kitchen and into the living room to clean up the mess her brothers left.

Elijah dug around in a cupboard while Hayley pulled ice cream out of the freezer. Beverly looked down at her bowl of oatmeal missing the milk. She sighed, picking up a spoon anyways and sitting down.

"You know, I do hope my siblings were hospitable to you in my absence," Elijah said and Beverly deduced that statement was addressed to Hayley before he added, bringing to her attention, "Both of you."

Hayley rolled her eyes, starting, "In your absence, as you like to call it—which is a way-too-polite way of saying that your brother put a dagger in your heart—" She looked up to see Elijah bringing a bowl, a spoon, and a bag of cereal to the counter, "We have been attacked by French Quarter vampires, had to live in a house with a secret dungeon full of coffins, and I was nearly murdered by witches who are convinced my baby is Lucifer."

"I nearly bled to death," Beverly shrugged her shoulders, revealing before raising her spoon to her mouth.

"That's a little overdramatic," Hayley chuckled, shaking her head.

"I am known to be overdramatic," She replied, a small smirk on her lips.

Elijah looked between them, remembering vaguely how Beverly couldn't bear the presence of Hayley with her in the same room a week after being here but somehow he had a feeling she was just pushing the pregnant werewolf away to avoid being friends and making actual connections.

He could remember Jayden Hills once saying that Beverly was a lot like her mother in the sense she hated connections or grounding emotions. She liked to be free and to make her own decisions. While that made her seem selfish, it was the complete opposite.