"Yeah, I don't think she can come to school today either. She still doesn't feel well." Elena's mum sighed to the school secretary over the phone. The truth was, Elena didn't feel sick, but she did not feel like going to school.

After hanging out with Stefan, everything was fine. But then Caroline had started hanging out with him, more and more. Elena asked him constantly if he wanted to go to the cinemas again or something else. She had stopped a couple of months ago when she had heard a group of girls talking about her, calling her desperate behind Elena's back. It just felt so lonely. Bonnie had been distant and all the other girls were acting strange around her. Caroline had been... really hard work to deal with. She hated Elena and was constantly there to put her down.

And to believe it's only been a year. Everything's changed. And Elena didn't want it to. Maybe she could just be 'ill' till school finished for good. Maybe she'd just run away. But she couldn't do that. Elena couldn't leave her mum like her dad had.

~

Stefan opened his eyes to see a half asleep Caroline staring at him. "Goodmorning." Caroline said.

"Morning." Stefan smirked, kissing her on the head and jumping in the shower. After, Stefan walked into his closet to get changed.

"You're going to have to drive me back home." Stefan walked back out of the closet, now fully dressed and raised his eyebrows. Caroline sighed, "If you want me to stay the night, then you have to atleast have the decency to drive me home, stay in the car, wait for me to get dressed, and drive us to school." Said Caroline with her hands on her hips.

Let's just clarify some things here:
1. You begged me to let you stay over last night because you were too 'tiered' from the homework. Even though I did most of our English homework, Stefan thought, and 2. You don't even live that far and you have your own car to drive you home.

But Stefan didn't say that. He knew if those words came out of his mouth Caroline would make a huge deal out of it.

If Caroline didn't want to do something—and in this case, it was driving her own car to her own home and then driving to school by herself—then she wouldn't do it.

"Okay, okay. But next time, your packing an over night back."

Caroline was such hard work at times, Stefan was having a hard time to put up with her. She could be really fun to hang out with, but Stefan knew he'd never have her as a girlfriend.

There's lots of pretty girls just like her. Beautiful on the outside but ugly and ruined on the inside. Stefan knew that maybe he was going a bit far, but Caroline always let her emotions get the best of her. And most of the time, it was jealousy. And that was just one thing that Stefan couldn't stand.

He sneaked Caroline out the front door and ignored his dad when he called for Stefan.

Stefan and his dad had had a big fight that morning after his date with Elena—if that's even what you could call it—he was telling Stefan that he hoped that he was trying hard at school and Stefan told him he was, and then he started asking him questions about what he did last night. The point was, he didn't trust him, even though Stefan tried his hardest to impress his dad.

So Stefan just stopped trying. He was a fool to think things could be better here, nothing would ever change; his dad would never trust him, and Stefan would never decide to just stop going to parties and dancing with girls.

Stefan hadn't talked to Elena in a long time. Caroline didn't want him to and Caroline was... Caroline. She could be very persuasive. He did feel kind of bad though. Him and Elena got on great together, and even if he wanted to start talking to her again, she propably hated him.

Everything had been great for Caroline. Her and Stefan were closer than ever. She was pretty sure he even loved her.

They looked for parties most nights to crash. Sometimes they even went to collage parties—actually, it was mostly collage parties.

Elena had been sick apparently and there for Caroline was organising the school dance. She had been voted form captain and she even bet she was going to be prom queen this year and Stefan was obviously going to be prom king as her date—he hasn't asked her yet but he was going to—and the night was going to be amazing, just like Caroline had planned.

~

**Friday morning**

Elena's mum was making her go to school, she said that her attendance was getting too low and if Elena was not at school then she wouldn't learn.

Elena was dreading going to school today. She used to love going. Knowing that all her friends would be waiting for her at the school gate, but Elena was pretty sure she had no more friends.

She put on a black skirt on with her dark green turtleneck. Elena winced as she looked in the mirror. Ever since everything happened—or the lack of things happening—with Stefan, dark green had been a colour to avoid. But she wasn't going to let it bother her anymore.

If Elena wanted to wear a dark green turtle neck, then that's what she'd wear.

She grabed her bag and slipped on her black flats and open the door without grabbing anything to eat.

Elena was walking to school—like always—but not like always, Elena saw Stefan's car drive past.

Stefan had just drove past Elena, when he noticed her through his rear view mirror. He sighed.

Elena looked straight ahead, pretending that she hadn't seen Stefan.

She had stopped hearing his roaring engine, so Elena stood still and slowly turned around.

Stefan was leaning out of his window smiling like the Cheshire Cat, "Get in." The Cheshire Cat said as confident as ever.

"What if I don't want to." Elena replied just as confidently, even though she was quivering inside. It wasn't a question, well atleast she didn't say it like one.

Stefan seemed confused, "Why wouldn't you?" Stefan asked gently, the smile disappearing of his face.

Elena could think of a thousand reasons why she didn't want to:

1. After they went to the cinema together, he'd hardly had a conversation with her.

Okay, maybe she could only think of one reason, but that reason was pretty strong.

"I just don't. You should carry on ignoring me." Elena says walking off.

"I don't ignore you." Stefan said defensively.

"Oh right! You don't ignore me, you wave or nod your head at me. As long as your girlfriend isn't looking, right?" Elena says coldly turning back around, her voice coated in thick and witty sarcasm. She was furious now.

Stefan jumped out of his car, "Girlfriend? Caroline's not my girlfriend!" Elena didn't get why he was shouting at her.

How dare she? Stefan thought.

She didn't know how much he had wanted to kiss her—how much he still did. There's something wrong with him. There must be. What kind of person just wants to go around kissing random girls?

But Elena wasn't random. And Stefan didn't want to kiss anyone else but her.

Elena was shouting something back at him, but he couldn't hear her.

Stefan walked up to her and cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. At first she pulled away and looked at Stefan, her brown eyes wide, but then she just pulled him closer to her and kissed him back

Her kisses felt warm, they felt... safe.

They stopped kissing and Elena stared right into his eyes, through his soul.

"Why did you kiss me?" She asked suddenly. I don't know, Stefan felt like saying. But he did know, didn't he?

"Why did you kiss me back?" Stefan wispered. He was afraid of her answer. Elena didn't seem to want to answer the question and he didn't really want to answer it either, so he changed the subject. "We should get to school. I'll drive you." Stefan said, still whispering.

He didn't know why he was whispering—he just couldn't bring himself to talk any louder.

She nodded and Stefan let go of her and walked with her to the other side of the car. Stefan opened the door for her and she jumped in. He closed her door and got in the drivers seat.

They drove to school in silence.

***

NOTE AFTER EDITING:
Hey guys! Okay, I have no idea what my younger self was thinking here. I think I didn't know what to write anymore so I just skipped a couple of months or I just forget the storyline or got bored with it😂😂 Like, seriously, I have no idea what happened here😂😂