𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟒

"𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 "

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╰┈˚ · ° .  THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. I would have never thought, after such a long and hard year, that sophomore year could actually end. The Graduation Ceremony had flown by, and even Sam couldn't believe that he had actually done it. That he had graduated and finally finished school— since he had no intention of going to college.

Prom was near, and since our school and its low number of students, the event was open to every student, from freshman year to senior.

School dances were usually not my cup of tea, but for sure it was for Kim and Amelia. And as for the air witch words, it was the only time to be all together for a school event since Sam had graduated.

My small room was invaded by the girls, even Maddison was there— apparently after making up with Jacob a couple of weeks back, she was now going to the dance with him.

Having the perfect dress for prom had been one of the main things Kimberly had thought about all year. She had actually buyed it in january. Once she saw it, she knew that she wanted that. She wasn't usually very interested in fashion, but elegant dresses and formal dances were her weak spots. It was an elaborate dress. Of a sage green color, it had a simple underdress covered by a more intricate chiffon fabric with butterfly embroideries. The bust was made by a corset and the straps of the dress were all made with different fabric-made butterflies all sewed together.

Amelia was doing Kim's hair, she was the only one of us that was actually ready. Her dress, of an electric blue color, had a hard corset and a skirt that was snug against her curves but flared softly at the knee-high lengths. It exactly speaks of her personality. Loud and strong. Not a dress that everyone could wear. Her hair was brushed backwards with a lot of gel, her eyes a very minimal look that contrasted the bold red lips.

Maddison had probably the less flashy dress out of all of us. A slip dress model, powder rose colored with a slight metallic tone. It was held up by a single trap around her neck and at the neckline, the fabric was draped over. To finish the look she had elbow high gloves made with chiffon's fabric and two earrings of rose quartz.

I couldn't say that I didn't love my dress. A burgundy slip dress made much more interesting with the black chiffon fabric that covered it slightly. Not as bold as Amelia's or Kim's, but I loved it nevertheless. Like Maddison, I wore gloves. Made of the same translucent black fabric they arrived above the elbow ruffled slightly. My hair, thanks to the help of the girls, was wavy and my makeup bolder on the eyes with a black smokey eyeliner and glossed lips.

"You look good, Maddi. Stop stressing." Kim commented with a huff as she looked at the human girl looking stressfully at herself in the mirror.

"I do?" She asked, not very convinced.

"Very hot. My brother is going drool all over you." Mia said with mischief filled eyes.

"Amelia, we are just friends." Maddison sighed. The teasing of Jacob and Maddi being in love never failed to make us laugh, well, except for the Swan girl.

"For now." I added as I used the mirror of an eyeshadow palette to finish my makeup. As Maddison opened her mouth to reply, someone knocked on my door. "Come in."

The door opened revealing my brother cladded in a suit, his hair perfectly styled. The only problem was the missing tie that I knew he had matching his girlfriend's dress.

"We might have a problem." Sam said.

"More three." Someone added from behind Sam. Jared.

Opening the door wider with her air magic, revealing the other two shifters, Mia stated "You don't know how to knot your tie, do you?"

"Of course you don't, Sammy. You never learned because I always do it for you." I smirked at my brother who blushed lightly at my comment.

"Shut up." He grumbled passing all of us and sat down on my bed.

Blushing a bright shade of pink, Kim smiled at his boyfriend who stood open mouthed at the door.

"Close your mouth Jared. You are pathetic." Amelia said, rolling her eyes at the speechless guy.

"Why did I think that your room would be burned down by now?" Paul commented, eyes gazing over the room. "And black?"

"Wow, thanks." I replied sarcastically.

"Actually, some parts are scorched. She just painted over or whatever." Sam said with a smirk. "And she used to have a rug."

"That's more what I would expect from you, little arsonist." Paul said with a very annoying and very hot smirk that I completely ignored.

The other snorted at the boys teasing, something that I didn't like very much. "Do you want me to do your tie or not?" I snapped at my brother.

Sam laughed, a rare sound that I always loved. He threw me his dark gray tie that matched the color of Leah's dress, extending a hand to help me up.

"Amelia what the fuck is that?" I asked, trying to contain my laugh at the poorly done bow tie that she had made for Paul.

"You are worse than me at this." The third-in-command commented, loosing up the fabric again and snatching it away from the witch.

"I'm definitely better than you, wolf boy." Amelia scoffed, offended by what he had insinuated.

"Don't look at me." I said as Paul turned toward me. "I just know how to tie a tie."

As he turned towards Maddison, she just looked apologetic and shook her head. Turning to Kim, who said. "Maybe there is a spell for it."

"Oh my god." Amelia chuckled at the irony. "Just watch a tutorial on youtube."

"We are going to stay here all night if we watch a tutorial." Jared replied.

The Black girl didn't listen. She opened youtube and searched for tutorials only for her to throw her phone my way. "Why me?" I asked.

"Because you are smart." She replied.

"We almost have the same grades, Mia."

"I work my ass off on my homeworks. You don't." She deadpanned.

I rolled my eyes, "Sit." I commanded Paul, pointed at the bed . "Amelia don't." I said, already knowing that the girl was going to do some dog jokes about it.

"Bossy much?" Paul mumbled under his breath.

"Excuse me, do you want me to do it or not?" I snarked back, which made him raise his hands up.

Thirty minutes later, one person less— since Jacob had passed to pick up Maddison— very much frustrated, I was nowhere near to make it.

"You sucks at this even worse than me and Amela." Paul said.

"Shut up. Dick." I replied with a huff trying once again to follow the tutorial.

"Just saying." He spoke with a smirk curling his lips.

"Shut up." I grumbled again trying not to blush. We were a bit too close, one of his silver rings cladded hands on my tight and his eyes trailing all over my face.

"What are you kids still doing here?" My mom's voice came from the hallway. She was doing slightly better, she was aware of the supernatural, since she had kids always over the elders deemed necessary.

"Tris is trying and failing to make Paul's bowtie." Sam said "And I'm already late to pick up Leah."

"Okay move, move." Allison Uley, my mom, ushered the other to the side so that she could come closer. Observing my 'work' she chuckled. "At least we found out something you are not very good at."

"Thanks a lot, mom." I scoffed, but still, my lips curled into a smile.

In seconds she tied the bow on Paul, winking at him before leaving with a smile a collective goodbye to everyone.

"Let's go, let's go. Out." Sam commanded, making sure that everyone was out of the house before closing the front door. "I'll see you there."

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╰┈˚ · ° .   The school gym had been decorated with streamers and balloons. The usual white lights were off and in their place various light projectors of various colors lightened the room. Loud music was blared through the speakers by the dj— a junior student that had been chosen— people danced in groups with their friends, laughing and enjoying the moment.

It was definitely a different look from the usual way the gym looked.

I hated it. It was too loud and with too many people. That is why as soon as I entered and the others were not paying attention, I disappeared under the bleachers. And I was so grateful that I had brought a pen with me. Even if my small bag couldn't fit a sketchbook inside of it, I still had plenty of skin where I could draw on. That is how I intended to pass the majority of the night— at least until I knew Amelia would deem my isolation time finished and start to search for me.

"I thought that you for sure had gone into a classroom to hide, not under the bleachers."

I snapped my head forward, my heart accelerating in my chest at the definitely not expected person. "You scared the shit out of me!" I said with a hand on my chest.

But Paul didn't seem to mind my tone, or what I had said. He just raised an eyebrow, eyes casted down to my leg, where I had raised the dress up until I could draw on my thigh and knee the cyber sigilism pattern that I had in mind. "Eyes up, dickhead." I scoffed.

Paul smirked. "Sorry." He said. He definitely didn't look sorry at all.

"What do you want?" I asked. I was expecting Amelia or even Jared, definitely not him.

"You disappeared." He said it like it was enough of an explanation. "For almost forty minutes, actually. Amelia said to leave you alone for at least an hour but I got bored."

"So I still have twenty minutes of peace. That means you can kindly fuck off." I said before continuing my drawing trying to ignore how handsome he looked at that moment. Hands in his pocket and a bit too focused solely on me.

"Always so sweet for me, aren't you, little arsonist." Paul chuckled amusedly, stepping closer and closer until he stood as he hovered above me. His eyes leaving fire trails as they gazed me all over.

"Jesus, how tall are you? And can you step back, you are covering the light." I said after knowing that I could form a sentence without stuttering.

"Why would I?"

"Are you serious?"

He crouched down, still towering over my frame. " I can hear your heartbeat." He said. His tone huskier than previously, eyes almost lost in thoughts. His hand softly grabbed my chin, his thumb caressing my skin.

"Did you hit your head or something?" I said, grabbing his wrist, containing a snarl. He was infuriating, and dangerous to my heart.

"Your heartbeat speaks louder and clearer than you, Beatrice." He said with a full blown cocky smirk. I rolled my eyes, moving my chin away from the grasp of his hand as the playlist switched from loud pop music to slow. "Dance with me." He said after a minute.

"And why would I do that?" I asked with a hint of a challenge in my tone.

"Dance with me." he repeated. His voice was unusually soft, I could feel his eyes on me, not moving for even a second.

And as I looked up again, eyes trapped in each other's gaze, I couldn't say no. I sighed out in frustration as I took the extended hand to help me up. "One dance."

Paul smiled, a sincere smile that lit up his entire face. "One dance." he repeated.

And as soon as we were on the dance floor, I had my arms wrapped around his neck, his hands on my waist.

"You look beautiful tonight." He said, stepping closer.

"Are you saying that I don't usually look beautiful?" I couldn't help but reply teasingly.

"Accept the compliment." He chuckled. He brushed my hair behind my ear, eyes locked with mine. "You always look beautiful, Beatrice. You always did." He reveled sound too sincere.

I took a breath, I could feel my heart accelerating. And I knew he heard it too when his lips twisted in a smirk.

"You say something and I'm not going to tell you what I wanted to say." I glared knowing that he for sure was going to comment on the faster heartbeat.

"Go on." he said, still smirking proudly, this time though, his hands moved to my back as he took another step until I could feel his chest against me and my body was flush against him.

I was almost tempted to not say anything, but his eyes and the mahogany shade, the way they seemed to shine like fire whenever they landed on me, the heat of his body... "You are not so bad." I revealed in a whisper.

"I know, I'm very handsome."

I scoffed at him, rolling my eyes. "That is not what I meant." I said returning is more serious. "You are not what I expected you to be."

"So, better?" He asked, almost seeming desperate for me to say it.

"Yes. Much better."

His lips relaxed into a soft smile, his body not so stiff anymore. "And you are everything that I expected you to be and more, little arsonist." Paul whispered the words like they were a secret. Like he didn't know if he was supposed to say them.

"Good or bad?" I asked, almost holding my breath for his reply.

"Good." He said. "But I don't know if it is for me."

I didn't know what it meant, and I so desperately wanted to know. But there was a part of me that wasn't ready, screaming at me to get away from him. And that part won.

Fortunately the song had just ended, the perfect excuse to leave. "One dance." I said stepping back with a tasing grin.

"One dance."

But summer was just around the corner, and I was sure that it would only bring with it even more chaos to all our lives.

✎

˗ˏˋ 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 ˊˎ˗

Hello everyone!

OMG!!! I'M SCREAMING!!!

This is the end of act 2, I would like to thank everyone that read this far and special thank you to those of you that liked and commented!

If there are some things that you would've liked to see in this story, please let me know!!

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞!

– 𝐋𝐨𝐥𝐚 ☾