Clarity

The next day, Stella caught up with the three girls after school and invited them to a pre-dinner snack at an old pancake house around the corner. It was a small, homely place that served anything from breakfast foods to burgers. She used to frequent the restaurant almost religiously during her sophomore year, but it had been a long while since she stopped in. Her eyes scanned the place automatically and she smiled when she recognized a face.

"Stella! I haven't seen you in a while," an older woman with ginger curls greeted them with a bright smile as she eyed her company. "And you've brought friends along!"

Stella blushed lightly, leaning in for a quick hug.

"Els, it's been so long. These are my friends, Sasha, Angelique, and Hana," she smiled back, gesturing to each of them as they waved. "Girls, this is an old friend of mine, Els. We're just grabbing a snack, if that's alright."

"Of course, of course," Els said, looking to her friends. "You know, this is the first time I've ever seen Stella bring so many friends along. What a pleasant surprise!"

The waitress enthusiastically motioned for them to follow her and they were shortly seated at a modest booth by the window. Els lingered to catch up with the senior girl while the others took to perusing the menu.

"How've you been? You look so good," she said, squeezing Stella's shoulder. "And where's that cute boy with the blue eyes that you always used to bring here? Busy with work, is he?"

"Oh, Stephano?" Stella blushed again and laughed. "I haven't seen him in a long time. But he's doing alright. He's says hello every now and then when he has time."

"Aw, he was adorable back then, but he's drop dead gorgeous now," Els grinned. "He's in that new movie that's coming out next month, isn't he? The one with the robots..."

Stella just smiled and nodded her head, sensing Angelique's curious, furtive glances out of the corner of her eye. This was just another piece of her past that she never thought to mention to them.

"Well, I'll leave you with your girls and be back to take your orders," the woman said, spying a customer waving her down from across the diner.

When she left, there was a short silence before Stella addressed the quietly questioning eyes.

"A couple years ago, Stefano was here to spend some time with his grandmother," she explained. "We used to hang out a lot."

"Stefano Coletti?" Angelique asked with round eyes. "The actor?"

"Yeah," Stella said.

"You know him personally?" The blonde girl's voice squeaked in disbelief. "Oh my god, Stella! I'm such a huge fan! I've seen like… all his movies. You never told us he was your friend!"

"No, I don't think I ever did," Stella replied with a shy, apologetic smile. "That was when I was a sophomore and I'd stopped hanging out with Sam. I didn't really have any friends back then and we'd always come here to eat. He wasn't very well known at the time."

"Can we meet him next time you see him?" Angelique pleaded. "Please!"

"Sure," she smiled. "It's been a long time since he's been in town, but if he does swing by I can always ask him."

Angelique squealed and bounced in her seat, excited at the idea of meeting someone she'd always admired from afar. "Stella, you're so lucky! Your life seems so awesome."

"It has its interesting points," Stella mumbled, brushing it off. "And just order whatever you guys want. It's on me."

When Els came back, they put in their orders and sat back as they waited. Stella knew they were probably wondering what was going on since she was more of the tag along type instead of the ringleader. They all looked like they were waiting for her to speak and she didn't know how to get into it.

Finally, Stella said, "By the way, I'm not dating a drug dealer."

Angelique and Hana let out visible sighs of relief, but Sasha just giggled. Their reaction was so comical that Stella, despite her lingering discomfort, allowed herself a small laugh.

"Thank god," Angelique said, giving her a stern glare. "I spent all day telling off anyone who mentioned it for gossiping. It would've been embarrassing if it were true."

Stella forced a smile and swallowed, drawing a deep breath before continuing on her quest to be honest and open.

"But I like… his company," she said, shoulders tense. "He's a good friend. I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want anyone to worry. I know it sounds bad."

"Well, as long as you're happy, Stella," Hana said, looking at her with a small smile. "But you can rely on us too…"

"Hana's right," Sasha said. "If anyone can handle herself, it's you. And even if you can't, we're here."

"And of course we worry," Angelique chimed in. "We have a hard time keeping up with you, Stella. You're always three steps ahead of us and we don't want to hold you back. But you know, we're the type of friends who support whatever you decide, no matter what. No one's judging around here."

"You guys don't hold me back," Stella said with a frown. "Is that how you feel?"

"She just means that you're on a different level than us," Hana replied, voice gentle. "It's not a bad thing."

"Exactly, Hana," Angelique slapped her hands down on the table. "You're Stella Montgomery. You're a veteran heroine. Smart, sassy, and fully capable of taking on the entire world."

Stella stared at the young blonde incredulously before breaking out in loud laughter. It was astonishing to hear that anyone thought of her in such a way. Then again, she supposed that that was the way in which she consciously presented herself. It shouldn't have been a surprise to learn that was how she was perceived. She wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled at the girls in good humor.

"I'm just a girl," she reasoned. "Sasha, you know how I used to be. One day, you'll find yourself in my shoes."

"Maybe we will, Stella," Sasha said. "But you're different."

"I really don't think so," she murmured, looking up as Els swiftly delivered their orders and left them after making sure everything was fine. "I'm just a very good actress."

"Hey, Stell," Angelique said, calling her attention as she tucked into her pancakes. "I'm just curious and you don't have to tell us about it… but what's the story with you and Sam?"

Stella looked up from her eggs and realized that they all were all sneaking curious glances at her.

"Are you guys really that interested?" she said. "I don't mind talking about it, but it's a pretty boring story."

Sasha's mouth pressed into a tight smile and Hana chuckled shyly. Stella guessed it meant that they all were up to hearing the details. She drew a breath and sighed, brushing her fringe from her eyes as she nibbled on a piece of bacon in thought.

"It was our first year at Southwood," Stella started with a small smile. "I was very shy back then. I blushed easily and I could never say more than a couple words at a time. I cared a lot about what people thought of me, so you can imagine that I just kept to myself. Sam and I started talking when he gave me a ride home on the back of his bicycle."

"Oh! I actually remember that," Sasha said excitedly. "He came home late and didn't sleep until he found the things he needed to fix your bike tire. Then he left really early the next morning. I didn't know that was you."

"Yeah, I don't think I've ever blushed so hard in my entire life," Stella mused aloud. "Sam was so… charming back then, but his world was radically different from mine. You have to understand that back then I was nobody and Sam was already climbing up the social hierarchy. That's why I was drawn to Nico."

"Wait, what? Who's Nico?" Angelique's face was scrunched in confusion.

"He was my biology partner's room mate from Maine," she explained, a grin coming to her face. "He was quite handsome too, but he was so neat and clean that I think everyone got the impression that he was gay. Nico was a lot like me though because he was pretty shy, always keeping to himself, and a bit awkward in a rather endearing way."

They were all chewing their food while observing the soft, wistful expression on her face. If they didn't know any better, they'd think that she was in love. Stella suddenly snapped out of her daydream and blushed when she realized that she was being watched.

"Anyways, my freshman year turned out to have a lot more action that I ever thought it would," she said vaguely. Stella then reconsidered it and let out a breath when she reminded herself that she was trying to be open. "I had a huge crush on Sam, but I really liked Nico. Ultimately, Nico had to go back to Maine at the end of the school year and Sam eventually learned to go against the social norm."

"If Nico never left, do you think you'd have ended up with him?" Hana asked.

"I don't know," Stella replied. "Maybe."

"Did you love him?" Sasha asked, eyes wide.

"I… did," she said as if this were the first time it dawned on her. Her blush darkened and she propped her chin in her hand as she looked out the window. "But that's all water under the bridge now, girls. I loved Sam too, you know."

"What do you mean that Sam learned to go against the social norm?" Angelique asked, brows furrowing.

"Oh, peer pressure," Stella clarified. "You know, he had to struggle with what people deemed appropriate. It was troubling that someone as vivid as Sam would stop to give someone as greyscale as me his time of day. He was still young, but his heart was always in the right place. Sam came through though… and that was probably thanks to the rivalry."

"I want to see what Nico looked like! Do you have a yearbook?" Sasha asked.

"Oddly enough, no," Stella frowned, but squinted her eyes when she remembered something. "I actually might have an album though. It was a gift from a girl that used to look after me while I was there. I guess I can dig it up and bring it over tonight, if you guys want."

"I'd like to see it," Hana said, raising her hand along with the others.

"Ok," Stella laughed. "I'll find it."

"Geez, if that was what you think was a boring story, I'd like to hear about an exciting one," Angelique said, shaking her head. "You're like one of Ridgewood's Unofficial Mysteries."

"What does that mean?" Stella asked with a mild pout.

"When I first came to Ridgewood, there were a lot of things the upperclassmen told us about the school," Hana told her. "You were actually mentioned as one of the school's enigmas. I think one of the seniors at that time believed you were an esper or something else not fully human."

Sasha and Angelique burst out laughing while Stella made a face.

"That's silly," she muttered, biting into her toast. "Is that why I've had so many freshmen approaching me on the first day of school?"

"They said that your success would rub off on us if we gave you offerings," Hana said. "I lent you a pencil once."

"What?" Stella scratched her head. "Who comes up with these things?"

They shared a laugh, leaving behind the awkward tensions as a thing in the past. Stella was finding it easier to hold a conversation and she was more inclined to share more about herself now that she knew that they actually cared. They spent a good hour teasing each other about various things and when they were finished, Els came by to tell them to come again soon.

Stella bid them farewell as they headed off in the opposite way. When they rounded the corner, she slipped her phone out of her pocket to read the text message she received some time ago. It was a request for a meeting of sorts in forty minutes, but it was sent almost an hour ago. She tapped out a message in return as she buttoned up her jacket and departed with a hurried pace.