(act one, chapter nineteen: miss mystic falls)

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"Bonnie!" Buffy gasped in surprise as she arrived at school very early in the morning. It was not like she wanted to be here, not at all, but she wanted to out of the house before her mother was even awake.

Yes, she would see her 'father' here, however she was planning on skipping his class. And she was planning on telling Caroline about the supernatural. They should've just told Jeremy. It would have been way safer. 

Buffy embraced the other girl. "I know that we talked everyday but I missed you so much. Are you doing okay?" She asked, even though she already knew that her best friend was doing everything but okay.

"Better. You know. Glad to be back and trying to keep myself busy." Bonnie answered as they let go of each other.

"Well, I can help you with that. Major wardrobe problem. Caroline already has her dress for Miss Mystic Falls but I just can't seem to find the one I want to wear." Buffy said. She had seen a beautiful blue dress, but Elena already had a blue one so that wasn't an option anymore.

"Wasn't your mom going to help you find a dress?" Bonnie asked and Buffy's smile fell from her face. "What happened?" Bonnie asked, alarmed at her friend's expression.

"Nothing." Buffy answered. She already felt so bad towards Bonnie because of what happened to Grams, she couldn't possible bother her friend with more of her drama.

"No, seriously, Buffy, what happened?" Bonnie asked.

"No, it's okay. It's not that important." Buffy said. It could wait.

"Buffy." Bonnie said, softly as she picked up Buffy's hand and placed it in hers. "You need to know that I don't blame you for what happened, okay? So you can tell me." She offered.

"I honestly don't know how I deserved you, Bon." Buffy said as they sat down.

"Now, what happened?"

"I know who my dad is." Buffy muttered out, after she looked around to make sure nobody could hear them.

"WHAT!" Bonnie whisper-yelled with wide-eyes. "Are you okay? How did you find out? Who is he? I will kick his ass if I ever see him." She was already preparing to fight the man.

"Yeah, good look with fighting our history teacher." Buffy chuckled.

Bonnie's eyes went open even wider. "Mr. Saltzman?"

"Yeah. I don't know much, Jeremy told me, but he is my father and my mother knew who he was. Well, of course she knew who he was, she always knew. She never wanted to tell me. Since he's been back she had plenty of time to tell me. Of course she wasn't surprised to hear Alaric call me his daughter. She's been rather closely to him in the time he has returned to this town. But no, please don't tell your daughter who never has a father, that her father is back." Buffy said.

"Oh my God. I can't believe it."

She knew she was telling the right person. With Bonnie's mom, she knew exactly what Buffy was going through.

"I can't believe he just talked to me, knowing I was his daughter who he abandoned and didn't say anything." Buffy continued.

"I don't understand why Jenna didn't tell you. If she's been that close to him. What are you gonna do? Are you gonna talk to them?" Bonnie asked.

"No." Buffy answered. She wanted to let them know how it felt to not know something important. "So that's why I asked you to help me find a dress for Miss Mystical Falls. Cami is already helping me with getting ready."

"Of course I'll help you, but who are you going with?" Bonnie asked, she was assuming that she wouldn't go with James anymore.

"I was gonna ask Damon to escort me, but since that asshole wiped my mind-"

"What happened while I was gone?" Bonnie asked her, confused. Buffy found out who her dad is, Damon apparently wiped her memories. What else? How much could happen on that short of time?

"Yeah. It seems like Stefan killed Vicki Donovan because she attacked me and Elena asked Damon to wipe it from my memories. Where did everyone suddenly get the right to control my life? It should've been my decision. Not to mention, Jeremy who was so upset when he found out."

"Poor Jeremy." Bonnie said. She hadn't liked Vicki, but she did feel bad for Jeremy, who had been so hurt from her death. Just like she had been with Grams.

"Indeed."

"So who are you going with then?"

"I have no idea." Buffy let out a breath. She couldn't show up alone. No, she wouldn't show up alone.

I would rather jump off the clock tower

"Maybe you can go with Tyler." Bonnie suggested. The boy would say yes in a heart beat. It was clear he had liked her for years, but Buffy was always to obvious to notice.

"Bonnie Bennett, you freaking genius."

"You should go ask him now before Amber does."

"Amber doesn't have a date yet?" Buffy asked, surprised.

"I'm not sure." Bonnie said as they stood up.

"Well, I should go find him before classes start, but text me if you don't feel okay!"

"I will, but now go!" Bonnie said and with that the two friends walked into different directions. Bonnie to Alaric's class and Buffy to find Tyler. Which didn't take her long at all since he was at his locker.

"Tyler." Buffy smiled at him as he closed the door of his locker.

"Buffy." Tyler smiled back at her.

"So here's the thing. You know that me, Elena and Care signed up for Miss Mystic Falls months ago, right?"

Tyler nodded, still smiling.

"And I was wondering if you would like to accompany me there." Buffy continued. "I mean you don't have to if you don't want too, but-"

"Yes. I'll help." Tyler answered before Buffy could even finish speaking.

"You're the best Tyler." Buffy spoke before hugging him.

And when Buffy left, Tyler was sure that he was dreaming. This is what he had been waiting for for many years now and it was finally coming true.

Later that day, Tyler had realized it had not been a dream because Buffy texted him the details of their 'date'.

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"This year's queen will have the special honor of taking stage at the hundred and fiftieth Founder's Day Gala. Before we crown our winner, we'd like to get to know a bit more about each of you." Carol Lockwood, the mayor, and two other women of the Miss Mystic Falls pageant told her and Buffy smiled at them before speaking. 

"I'm on the Mystic Falls beautification committee and I volunteer at the poor soup kitchen together with my best friend Caroline. I recognize that I haven't been as involved as much anymore this year as I used to be, but I try and I'm aware of what an honor this is and I take it very seriously." Buffy said and the three women nodded in understatement, since Elena had said the same thing about not being involved so much anymore.

"I implemented this year's go green campaign at school and I worked for the recycling program and I sometimes help out at the animal rescue center since I think it's most important that animals get taken care off." Buffy continued and this went on for a bit. They asked her some more questions and she answered them with honest.

Not much later when all the candidates where in the cafeteria at school with their partners, ready to learn the traditional dance that got danced every year at the pageant.

"Honor your partner." Miss Lockwood said before walking over to the music box. Everyone did what she asked of them and took a step or two towards their dance partner and bowed a little. "Let's focus, right hand around." Both Buffy and Tyler held out their right arm as they laughed with each other on how unserious this was and they were clearly not the only ones who were thinking that. "Flirt with your eyes. Left hand around." They all switched arms.

"This is so ridiculous." Buffy giggled.

"Both hands."

"You're only saying that because you don't know how to do it." Tyler joked back.

"Painful. Right here." She said pointing her hand towards her heart.

"Oh! No, no, no! There's no touching during this part!" Carol Lockwood spoke to someone and when Buffy looked behind her, Elena was in Stefan's arms after he twirled her around. "It's about the simply intimacy of the near-touch."

Twenty minutes or so later they were finally done and Bonnie and Caroline walked in together. Buffy was still busy talking to Tyler and his mom so she hadn't notice. Well that was until Elena, Stefan and Bonnie started talking.

"Excuse me." Buffy spoke to them and walked over to the four.

"I begged Bonnie to fill in for Matt, he had to work today." Caroline explained as to why Bonnie was there when Buffy stood next to her.

"Bonnie, do you have a minute?" Her sister asked their best friend.

"We only have 30 minutes for rehearsal." Bonnie replied. 

"It'll only take a minute, please?" Elena begged and Bonnie gave in, even though she didn't want to.

"What's wrong with them?"

"You have a lot to catch up on, Care." Buffy said as Stefan walked away from them.

"I didn't go anywhere. How much could it be?" Caroline asked her confused.

"Wait here for me after your done with rehearsal, okay? I'll tell you everything when your done so that you can focus on this first. I want you to win." 

"Is it something bad?" 

"Honestly, I don't even know what to think anymore, Care." Buffy sighed. "But now I need to go." 

"Okay, I'll wait here." Caroline nodded and Buffy walked away to were her bag to see Tyler already standing with it in his hands. 

"Thanks, Ty." She thanked him and the two walked towards the door where Elena stood with Stefan now that Bonnie had joined Caroline. 

"Buf, do you-" Elena started but Buffy just passed her without giving her a glaze.

When Buffy returned back to the room half an hour later she found it deserted with only Caroline waiting there for her. She closed to door behind when she stepped inside the room.

"Can you please tell me know what's going?" Caroline asked before Buffy even had the chance to sit down.

"Yeah. Please don't get mad at me, okay?"

"I would never get mad at you!"

"I didn't say anything until now, since I thought I was protecting you, but Jeremy also knows and I think it's just safer for you to know now." Buffy rattled.

"What?" Caroline asked and so Buffy started her explanation of almost an hour long of what has been happening in Mystic Falls ever since the start of the school year. And about the thing she found out last night.

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At home, Buffy was in her bedroom, searching her room for everything she needed. Curling iron, make up, dress, ...  She had sneaked in to the house and no one had seen her. Except Jeremy but he had promised her he would tell her mom she wasn't here yet. 

She knew John was here, so she just had to lie that she was in the bathroom getting ready some stuff and hadn't heard her mom, Elena and Alaric, yes, Alaric, who had come to pick up the three of them and never before had Buffy been so grateful for John, who made Alaric want to leave early.

She hated this. 

She disliked the fact that she couldn't get ready with her mom.

She loathed that she couldn't talk to her mom like she could for seventeen years.

Buffy did not remember a day in her life were she and her mom were so far apart. And her mother didn't even know it yet. Just like she didn't know Alaric was her father for weeks.

The doorbell rang and Buffy know that it was Cami by the front door. 

She assumed uncle John had opened the door because Cami had just introduced herself.

"Cami O'Connell, nice to meet you."

"AAAH!" Buffy screamed when she came running down the stairs into Cami's arms. "I missed you so much!"

"I guess you two know each other then." John muttered.

"Yeah, she was one of the leaders on a camp I went to a few years back." Buffy explained.

"I thought you weren't home."

"I was." Buffy said, faking an confused look. "I was in the bathroom."

"Alright."

"I just need to get my dress and make up and then we can go." Buffy said as she quickly walked back upstairs to get her stuff, thanking Jeremy again for keeping it quiet she was here.

"Thanks again for doing this." Buffy said as they sat in the car, driving towards the Founders Hall.

"Of course, everything for my favorite blonde." Cami smiled back at her.

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"Thanks for helping me." Buffy said as Cami was curling her hair in the room were all the others were also getting ready.

"Don't thank me until you're sure your hair isn't gonna burn off." Cami chuckled and Buffy laughed with her until Elena and her mom entered the room. Cami looked befuddled at the sinking smile on her face.

"Buffy." Her mom said, with a smile on her face as she walked over to her. "I thought that I was gonna help you getting ready, sweetheart?" 

"Yeah, but suddenly Cami texted me that she was in town and I invited her. I asked her to make this beautiful hair style she always made with my hair on summer camp." 

"Oh, uhm, okay. Jenna Sommers." She extended her hand to Cami, who took it. "Cami."

"Well, I guess I could help Elena get ready." Jenna said, slowly stepping back to Elena, smile gone now. She had always dreamed of helping Buffy getting ready for Mystic Falls and now someone else would.

"Want to tell me something?" Cami asked, hands returning back to Buffy's hair.

"Later, please, Cami." The younger blonde begged as she looked over to Caroline's table, where Bonnie stood helping Caroline, both gave her an encouraging smile.

"Of course, whenever you want to tell me." Cami said, giving the girl time. When you want to help a person it is important not to push when they don't want that. 

"You truly are the best person ever, Cami."

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"Miss Tina Fell, escorted by Bartholomew Whitmore." Mayor Lockwood pronounced one of the Fell cousins to the guest, who started clapping as the blonde walked downstairs. Upstairs where only Caroline, Buffy and Elena.

"If I don't win, you have to." Caroline told her, pacing because she was so nerveus.

"I thought you weren't going to let anyone else win, except for you." Buffy replied, letting out a breath.

"I rather lose from you than from the Fells." Caroline said with an eye roll at the mention of the cousins. "Or from Amber. She can only complete because they don't want to make it look like it's only the members of the founding families who can compete, which it is."

"I'm not a founding family." Buffy said, confused.

"You're last name maybe isn't but you're a Gilbert cousin, so technically you are. It's really the same thing." Caroline continued.

"Don't worry, Caroline, you will win." Buffy reassured her.

"Has anyone seen Amber?" Miss. Lockwood asked when she entered the room, looking for the not-founding-family-member. The three girls all shook their heads.

"Does either of you see Stefan down there?" Elena asked them, catching their attention.

"Nope. Just my boring fill-in escort." Caroline replied after she had walked over to stand next to Elena to get a better look at the people downstairs and didn't see the youngest Salvatore anywhere.

"What happened to Matt?" Elena asked, confused.

"They wouldn't let him out of work." Caroline explained with a sour face. "What happened to Stefan?" 

"I don't know. He just disappeared somewhere." Elena spoke, fastly, panicking. "What am I doing? I never should've gone through with this."

"What do you mean?" 

"I need to find Stefan." Elena said. "This isn't me. I'm not this person anymore."

"No way. You had your chance to drop out. And believe me, I was all for it. Because there is no way I can beat you or Buffy for that fact."

"That's not true, Care." Buffy said from behind her. "I'll probably even trip from going down that stair in heels."

Caroline smiled at her thankfully. "Elena, you're doing this because it was important to your mom." Caroline encouraged the Gilbert even more.

"Miss Caroline Forbes and her escort, Jeffrey Lockwood Hamilton." Mr. Lockwood's voice came from downstairs for the third time today.

"Good luck, Care bear." Buffy said, giving her best friend a thumbs up.

"Elena, you're next." Carol Lockwood signed to Elena as Caroline was almost off the stairs.

Buffy didn't wish her good luck.

Was she being stubborn?

Definitely.

Had Elena the right to mess with her brain?

Absolutely not.

"Miss Elena Gilbert, escorted by Mr. Stefan Salvatore."

Buffy watched as her sister walked downstairs, but Stefan was still nowhere to be seen.

She would've had no escort. That was until Damon took Stefan's spot.

"And now lastly. Miss Elizabeth 'Buffy' Sommers, escort Tyler Lockwood." Mr. Lockwood said one last time and Carol wished her good luck before she slowly walked down the stairs to make sure she didn't fell over her own feet. Luckily for her Tyler was there waiting for her.

"You look beautiful." Tyler congratulated her as they walked out of the house.

"Thank you. And again I own you for helping me."

"Oh, it's nothing." He reassured her. He was happy to do this.

"She looks beautiful." Alaric spoke to Jenna when the two passed them, this time Buffy really hadn't seem them since she was to busy whispering to Tyler.

"I know."

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"Where's Amber?" Caroline whisper asked Buffy as they all were back inside waiting to know who won.

"I don't know." Buffy replied as she looked around to see if she could find the blonde anywhere.

"Before I crown the winner. I'd like to offer a personal thank you to all of these young ladies for their efforts to better our community." The whole room clapped, applauding the five girls. "So without further ado, it is my honor to announce our very own Miss Mystic Falls, Miss Caroline Forbes."

"I actually won!" 

"Congrats, Care!" Buffy said as she hugged her best friend.

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I fucking hate writing Jenna as a bad mother, but we gotta through it for just a bit

Be sure to comment. I love reading them and it keeps me motivated!

Words: 3055

Posted: June 19, 2024