Hey guys, here is a Stella/Brandon fanfic. I hope you like it. I've so many ideas for it and I want to write so much about them. It's my first story about them...EVER!

-CUTECUPCAKE xoxo

CHAPTER ONE

RETURN

I stared at my reflection in the mirror and frowned deeply. My eye-bags looked darker than ever and my hazel eyes looked so dry that even the desert looked fresher than them. Oh, I'd need the rose water to fix them again. I've been doing that for some time now. You could say I had years of practice for it. My sleeping hours reduced to a very low number since my entrance in the senior of high school and the routine had been following up for non-stop three years now. Today, I was starting my third year of college and I had a strong feeling that the year was going to be hard, really hard. A shiver ran up my spine, but I quickly shrugged it off and picked up my brush to run it through my locks. Thank God! I had straight hair and brushing them out was not much a big deal. Even the length of it didn't bother me.

The thought of my roommate and cousin, Flora, came rushing to me and I felt bad for her at heart. She had wavy hair of my length, but she always complained about knots. The opening of bathroom broke my train of thoughts and brought me back to the world. Flora carried a triumph smile on her face and plopped down on the couch next to the mirror. Our room was huge just like the rest of the apartment because it was bought by our fathers and they were rich. We had another mate, but she lived in a separate room.

"Looks like someone won the battle quite early." I commented, inspecting Flora and realizing that she wasn't whining about her hurting arms today. Usually she did that a lot, but her voice was so soft that it occurred that she was crying. Over years, my voice had also taken a very smooth tone. It astonished many people from my past and I was proud of it.

She nodded, eyeing me wearily. "If I could only burn them."

She was talking about my clothes that comprised of a loose grey shirt that had black stars on it and black skinny jeans. I grew immediately attached to them when I first saw them. We were meant to be. Musa had given them to me on my birthday two years ago and I had been utilizing them since. I gave her a weak look. "I take offence, Flora."

She ignored my comment and beamed at me through her emerald eyes soft, small lips. "Are you going to leave them open?"

My hand immediately shot to my hair. I forgot to tie them. I never left them open. The reason Flora smiled was obvious. She thought I was going to let them free. "No, I was about to fix them in a tail."

She reached me, sighing. "Let me do that for you." She hated me when I did this, but I couldn't help it. She pushed me down on the couch and fixed my blonde locks in a lose braid, so that a few tresses came forward to cover my face. I pushed them back, groaning. "Tighten it."

Flora slapped me over my hand. The hair fell forward again. "Shut up." She was advancing for the door now. "Come for Breakfast fast."

I blew out some air and picked the rose water from its usual spot. The zip inside my bag. After pouring some drops in my eyes, I checked the time and a sour look appeared on my face. Only half hour was left before the first class. I quickly dashed out to have breakfast, avoiding my reflection, because I detested everything that made me look attractive. This hairstyle exactly did so.

"Here comes the topper of the year." Musa grumbled, propping her face on the table and waving at me. And let me tell you, in case if it's not obvious, she hated morning and the feelings grew 20 times more when it was the first day of classes. Poor child.

I offered her a feeble smile before getting my fruit salad from the kitchen and sitting down on the table. I felt something off about Musa. Her eyes looked puffy. Probably another tussle with her boyfriend, Riven. I could never understand them and honestly, one could easily get their names in Guinness book for the most unpredictable couple ever discovered. They were laughing at one instant and abusing each other at the other.

"You don't look good, Musa." I reached over and stroked her cheek. "Should we call the doctor?"

Musa shook her head. "I just checked. I'm not knocked up." And with that she literally threw me off edge. Tell Musa to make you feel awkward.

Flora laughed as I choked. Musa looked weirdly at me. "What?" The one who speaks the most and thinks the least. She was always like that and that was cause of their 99 percent fights. Musa could just never understand when to zip it up.

Flora aided me by rubbing me back and explaining to Musa what I meant. "She's talking about your health and eyes, not your symptoms of pregnancy."

She parted her lips to make an 'O'. They got busy in their conversation. They still had some time for their classes. However, I had not much. I finished my breakfast hurriedly and ran out of the door after a clipped bye.

I had to reach my class in five or I would be late. Many people recognized me and greeted me and it was downright painful for two obvious reasons. First, I despised lengthy conversations which people usually tried to spark with me and second, I was getting late for my first third year class. And someone prove to me that shouldn't be the reason to glare anyone who dropped a high when I passed by. The way I was running, I was either going to kill or get killed. I slowed down my pace as the turn to my class showed up.

I let out a breathe that I was holding in as I turned the corner and so smoothly burst into the car, making every eye to turn towards me. Oh, my stars. So much attention on the first day of classes. And then the whispering started again. Were they ever going to let me live that down? People would've so easily forgotten if I belonged to a normal family, but my bad luck was that I was the daughter of a rich man.

"Stella Solaria." A chirpy voice caught my attention. I tilted my head to glance at my History teacher. She was grinning at me. I nodded at her with a happy expression plastered on my face. She motioned for me to sit down and I obeyed her, ignoring the growing whispers because they were never going to die out.

Ignorance was the only weapon against their gossips, that I had learnt in my senior year of school. Initially, I would've cried out until my eyes dried but when they didn't stop, I learnt to put up barriers to useless voices. I had to be at the top of my class and if I payed attention to wasteful things, I would miserably fail.

I walked past every empty seat and dropped my bag next to a seat at the back of class. My favorite spot where nobody could disturb me. Mrs. Sherwood, my History teacher, started speaking when I placed my register and pen on the desk in front of me. Then I got absorbed in the lecture. I loved History. I craved to know about the legends of the past, the social issues, the wars, the relations between various countries, the religions and everything that was related to History, except my own past. I always prayed to forget about it.

The class ended soon and everyone left except for me; I had to catch up with Mrs. Sherwood. "How are you, ma'am?" I stood next to her chair.

"I'm fine, sweet heart, and I missed you a lot during the break." She stood up to engulf me in a brief hug. I hugged back. "Congratulations, too."

I giggled and waved her off. Then remembering something, I slapped a my palm on my forehead. "I've to get going, ma'am. My friends are waiting for me."

Mrs. Sherwood rolled her eyes and patted my head. "Flora, Musa and Helia, and of them is your cousin. Will ever make the circle broad?"

I shrugged and scurried out of the room. I was never going to answer that. A big circle never satisfied as did the short one. When there is a large number of people, you can trust few and when there is small number, you can trust all. Flora was my cousin. Musa was so lonely in her own life and motherless like me that I easily felt attached to her. And then there's Helia, Flora and my childhood friend and step brother of Musa. They discovered that two years ago when Musa's mom died and sent her to Mr. Asher, her father. Helia was his son from another woman. They developed a very good bond between them and it occurred quite surprising to some people.

"Hey, Stella, over here!" Musa hollered, causing everyone to give me attention.

"Could she be more obvious?" I mumbled, dropping my face to allow my loose locks to shield my face. I could feel the hot rising to my cheeks. She knew that I hated all this and that was the reason she did on every possible event.

She smiled sweetly at me, as she motioned towards the person sitting next to her. My eyes fell on the person sitting next to her. The glare of my eyes was subsided by a frown. An unknown person sat at the table and shot me a very friendly smile. Disregarding the person, I turned to Flora and Helia. They both had their heads lowered.

"Helia," I said, tapping my feet on the ground. He elevated his eyes to meet mine. A helpless expression covered his face. Then he looked down. I sighed and after a quick goodbye, sprinted out. The guy was giving me a bizarre look while Musa had gotten busy with Riven in an argument.

Musa had a habit of pulling strangers to our table. Whenever she did that, Flora and Helia behaved like this. They knew Musa and I were both stubborn, so staying silent was the only option for them. I felt bad for them sometimes. They were always dragged in our rows. We had contrasting opinions often. Now she pulled another stunt and I was obviously not going to let her off without reproaching.

I found a familiar face just as I entered the library, my other cousin who was in the same year as I. I took a book from the shelf and plopped in the wooden chair opposite to his.

He looked up, startled. Immediately, an ear reaching smile formed at his lips. "Dear, cousin." He wasn't the hugging type, so we shook hands.

"Sky, where have you been?" I hinted at his absence on the family dinner.

He winked at me before answering. "To places."

I eyed him disapprovingly. "Aunt Rachel was so mad."

He ran a hand through his blonde hair. We shared the same hair color as did our parents. His mother and my father were siblings. Flora was my maternal and Sky's paternal cousin. Actually, Sky's father, Flora and my mothers were siblings. We never knew how it happened but it did. Three siblings married three siblings. I inherited my features from Dad, however they both inherited from their mothers.

He groaned. "Tell me about it. She's still on my back."

"Still?" I giggled.

He threw a pen at me. I swiftly caught it with a smug look. He clapped lightly. He reminded me that we were in library.

"Where's your girlfriend?" I leaned back in my chair, as he leaned forward. He was uncomfortable. Oh-ho. They finally broke up. Flora and I were nagging him for a while about it.

"Congratulate me carefully," I hard caught his whisper. He pointed to the back of a girl, whom I effortlessly recognized as Megan. The Megan Fox on the campus. Currently, she was in one of her see-through tops and her undergarments popped out well. I looked away, abruptly. Who was I to judge someone?

The air became too dense for me to stand. I needed air. "Sky, I'll see you later."

He nodded, understanding my condition. Nothing was hidden from them. Musa was unaware like Riven. I searched around for another place to find peace. Peace? Could I ever attain it? The word was so unfamiliar to me. There was a lengthy distance between us and I was the cause of its expansion. I gazed on the huge clock in the main hall and realized that I had next class in a few seconds. Moaning, I dashed towards my next class.

Musa and Flora stood outside the apartment whispering, which came to an end as I approached them. Flora forced a smile, Musa didn't make the poor attempt and gave me a blank look.

"I thought your class was going to end at 3." Flora tried to led me away from the apartment. I wriggled out of her grip and crossed my arms beneath my chest. What had happened now?.

"What is it?" I questioned harshly. Musa replied for her. "The poor guy came to apologize to you." She was mad at me for the earlier event. Oh, fine. I wasn't going to apologize, considering she was the one at fault.

"I never demanded one. He can leave." The guy came out of the apartment, meanwhile. I huffed and turned away. Flora gave me a warning look.

The guy was unable to perceive signal, I finalized. He shamelessly stood in front of me with his hands folded in front of him. My eyes fell to the ground. I couldn't look people in the eye. They made me self-conscious.

"I'm sorry, Miss Solaria, for intruding at your table like that." It was an outright masculine voice. Never in my life had I ever heard such a voice; I was startled. It made my head drop lower. I had no intention to assemble an awkward situation for him.

"I don't own the table." I stepped away from him. His presence made me uncomfortable.

"But, I was sitting with your friends."

"I can't own living people. Please, stop it." I raised my eyes to his level. My hands shot to my face in shock and I staggered backwards. He watched me, mused.

"Flora," my breathing came out shallow. It alerted Flora and to some extent Musa and the brunette guy as well. Embarrassing, I know. "Bloom. I'm going to Bloom's." I hastily disappeared from the scene.

Chills covered my whole body as I moved in the direction of a nearby park. My whole body was shaking in fear. The brunette guy resembled him so much. Same height, same body frame, same eyes and same smile. His voice and hair very the only contradicting features. Maybe his voice matured over years and he dyed his hair. Fear strangled my whole body, making my knees go weak. I needed to sit down somewhere. Locating a a bench nearby, I went over to sit on it.

What if it turned out to be him? What would he do with me now? Kill me off for good now or repeat the history with me? What...What if he told everyone about me?

I rubbed my palms over my exposed arms to hold down the forming goosebumps. It couldn't be him. He couldn't follow me here. A bad feeling gathered in my stomach. "God, please, let him be some other guy."

Tears formed in the corner of my eyes and soon I found myself sobbing. Thank God, the park was empty at the second. If he followed me here, I would be destroyed and I couldn't bear the destruction this time. I had built this life with great efforts. I wouldn't let anyone destroy.

I fished my phone out my jeans. I called Helia. He picked up at the second. "Stella?"

"Who was the guy at our table today?" I questioned in a weak voice. The idea was making me weak.

He chuckled at the other end. This caught me off-guard, however, I waited for him to answer. "Stella, I'm flabbergasted," He paused for another chuckle. "You don't recognize our famous quarterback?"

I was thrown of the edge. Was I so blind during whole two years that I failed to notice the famous football player of our college. "Brandon Rodriguez?" I whispered, unsure.

"Yeah." He verified. I exhaled out, releasing all the worry with it. It wasn't him. He wasn't Spanish.

Who does Brandon resemble to? Tune in to find out.