Into Thin Air

Chapter 29

Hope stood in the hallway, buzzing with nervous excitement. She ran her sweaty palms over the skirt of her dress. 
Landon hadn’t shown up to her dorm before she left, and he still hadn’t arrived by the time the girls were being herded into place.
Hope could see Josie and MG, three couples in front of her. Josie chatted away happily, grinning and laughing with the contestants around her. Hope wondered if she would feel sadder if Penelope was still her date. 
By the time MG and Josie had their names announced, Hope was starting to get nervous. What if Landon never showed? What if she had to walk down all by herself? Would it be worse to leave the dance floor or to run through the motions by herself?
She was near tears when Landon stepped up beside her. 
“You made it,” Hope said, smiling through the lump in her throat. “I thought you were gonna make me dance by myself.”
Landon didn’t answer. He just stood there, silently and stiffly, dressed up in his suit. 
“Are you okay?”
“I kissed Josie Saltzman.”
Hope blinked, her eyebrows rising. “What? What do you mean you kissed Josie Saltzman?”
“I mean that I kissed her.” Landon finally turned to look at her. “And I think you know why.”
Hope said nothing.
“You slept with Penelope Park.”
Hope’s lips parted and her eyes started to shine. She didn’t want to cry; she didn’t want to play the victim here. But the tears still threatened to fall anyways.
“You’re not going to deny it?” Landon took a deep breath and looked forward again. “You understand why I can’t walk down and dance with you?”
“Landon …”
“You understand why, don’t you?” His voice got faster. “Tell me that you understand why.”
“Yes, I - I understand. But wait -” Hope grasped at Landon’s arm as he tried to leave. “Landon, just wait! Don’t leave me alone!”
But even with all her tribrid strength, Hope couldn’t hold onto him hard enough to make him stay. He pulled his arm away and her fingers slipped off the end of his sleeve. 
She turned back around, barely able to see the colors of the crowd through the tears blurring her vision. The lump in her throat grew in size, choking her quick breaths. She had just decided to leave altogether when a soft hand slid into hers.
“Need an escort?”
Hope balked at Penelope. “What are you doing here? I didn’t think you’d come at all.”
“What? And miss you in that dress?” Penelope’s eyes fluttered over Hope’s dress. She linked their arms together, her chin high. “Smile. Josie’s watching.”
They stepped up, next in line. 
“Lizzie gave me this dress,” Hope said, eyes on Josie on the floor who was giving her a glare that would disintegrate her on the spot if looks could kill. “It was supposed to be Josie’s I think.”
Penelope looked over the dress again, taking any excuse she could to look Hope up and down. “Looks better on you anyways.”
“Miss Hope Mikaelson, escorted by Miss Penelope Park!”
They began their slow descent down the steps. Hope watched the audience and Penelope watched Hope. Every time her smile started to slip and her eyes started to gloss over, Penelope would squeeze her hand gently. She didn’t speak until they had almost finished the dance.
“Where’s Landon? I thought he was your date.”
“Josie told him that we slept together, so he left.” 
“Oh.”
Hope opened her mouth to say something but then she was cut off by the judge.
“It is my honor to announce our very own Miss Mystic Falls!” she announced loudly. 
Everyone turned their attention to her, including Hope and Penelope. 
Hope’s breath turned stale in her throat, lungs starting to burn, but she couldn’t bring herself to draw in a breath until the winner was announced. Every nerve in her body snapped in the long, drawn out moments between the judge's breaths.
“Miss Josette Saltzman!”
It seemed like everything in the room stopped. The spotlight shone on Josie, white teeth shining as she beamed proudly. The girls around her congratulated her and she lapped it up eagerly, pretending to be humbled. 
Hope couldn’t hear their exact words over the rushing in her ears, and she could barely feel Penelope's hand on her arm. Just when she thought the dam behind her eyes would break, a pair of long arms pulled her into a hug.
“You deserved it,” Lizzie said into her ear. Hope buried her face in Lizzie’s blonde hair, thankful for something to shield her face as the tears started to fall. “You should’ve won. Everyone knows it.” 
“It was my last year,” Hope sobbed, gripping the back of Lizzie’s dress. Penelope set a hand on her shoulder. “I lost.”
“I know. I know how bad you wanted it. I know how it was your last connection to your mom.” Lizzie’s own eyes started to water. “She would’ve been proud of you.”