———┊ ┊ ┊ ˚✧  ⊂⊃  ┊ ┊ ┊ ˚✧  ———
Chapter Eleven: Friday Night Bites
—————————————————————

Emily jolted awake drenched in sweat. Her hair was a mess falling all in her face, because she forgot to pull it back before she dozed off the previous night. She turned and something sharp poked into her side causing her to wince. She reached below her hip and pulled out a book.

Little women, a comfort book she had began to read the night before. She thought that reading it would help her sleep without her parents corpses haunting her dreams. After all it was the book Miranda Gilbert read to her girls before bedtime. It didn't work, still in her nightmares that night were her parents blemished and cold bodies.

Despite it all, she got out of bed and continued with her morning routine; showering and getting ready for school.

✧ ✧ ✧

"You mean you guys had a dinner party and didn't invite me!" Ruby exclaimed.

Emily now walked with Ruby through the school parking lot, going through their daily debrief.

"I wish you could've taken my place, alright? It was supposed to be small, but we had some unexpected guests." Emily told her friend, who was furious. Ruby hated being left out of things. The red head always said that if she were to have a super power, it would be to be in multiple places at once.

"Yeah Caroline and her new, older, super hot boyfriend." Ruby said with distain.

"Oh no, don't you start, I refuse to be in the middle of you and Caroline drama, again."

"She just irks me sometimes, being all petty and passive aggressive."

Emily hums. "Sounds like someone I know."

"Okay, I may be petty but I am not passive aggressive, if I have something to say, I'm going to say it straight up." Ruby holds her hands up in defense.

"Ruby, change the subject please."

"Okay fine, first home game of the season, are you excited?"

"Not really, I don't think I'm even going." Emily shrugged.

"No, you have to come.To support me!"

"I'm sorry? Are you all of sudden on the football team now?" Emily said sarcastically, receiving a punch in the shoulder.

"No, to support me for cheer."

     "I'll think about it."

—————————————————————

Nora stood alone and watched as the flames engulfed the makeshift central high player. The football team does it every year when they play the central high lions. Then again every year they lost to them. It was the irony that her and Emily would laugh at, but Emily bailed tonight and stayed home. She also watched as Jeremy got drunk on the back of some guys truck. She had to let go of this stupid obsession over Jeremy Gilbert. She couldn't help him if he didn't want the help. She decided if Jeremy Gilbert wanted to be self-destructive and pine after Vicky Donavan, then she wouldn't be the one to stop him. It wasn't her problem. But another part of her wanted the Jeremy who went on bike rides to ice creams shops with her back. The same guy who sketched drawings of her and gifted them to her on her birthdays. She wanted her best friend back.

     She pulled her eyes away from Jeremy and looked towards Mr. Tanner who was giving his speech on how the team was gonna crush their opponents tonight.

     "I'm gonna tell you right now, it has been a long time since I have seen a kid like this with hands like these. Let's give it up for Stefan Salvatore!" He announced.

     The crowd cheered, Nora along with it, not because she was Stefan's biggest fan or anything, but because she knew it would screw with Tyler. Like she expected, Tyler was pissed, she watched as he went over to Vicky Donavan before turning his attention to Jeremy. Nora knew he was going to pick a fight.

     Tyler said something to Jeremy and Jeremy was the first to throw a punch. They boys went at, drawing the crowd over to watch. Stefan and Elena went to break it up. Stefan separated Tyler from above Jeremy and Tyler punched Stefan in the stomach, but the punch didn't affect Stefan at all.

     Jeremy grabbed a broken beer bottle and went for Tyler but Stefan held up his hand and the bottle sliced him instead. Nora gasped rushing towards Stefan.

     "Are you all right?" She asks but Stefan hid his hand away from her. Elena walked over asking the same question.

     "Is it deep, how bad is it?" Elena asks worriedly.

     "No, no, no, it's fine." He said. Elena grabbed his hand and forced it open. There was no cut wound just dried up blood.

     "He missed its not my blood." Stefan told the two girls.

     Nora swore she saw his hand get cut. She'd been questioning herself for the last couple of days. She saw and felt things that were strange, she'd feel different vibes just by brushing against people, like her sister and Stefan. This whole day she's been seeing the same set of numbers. 81422

     So maybe it just looked like Stefan had been cut and she was now expecting the worst out of situations.

     Nora shook out of it. She watched as Jeremy's figure walked off. Her brain was telling her not to follow, because she'd only end up hurt. But of course she didn't listen, her impulses dragged her feet across the lot to find him.

     "Jere!"

     "Nora just give it up already." Jeremy groaned, turning to face her.

     "Give up what? An eight year friendship?"

     Jeremy sighed and finally turned to face her.

     "I have a bottle of water in my bag for your drunk ass." Nora said before digging into her bag to retrieve the bottle.

     "I'm not drunk." The boy slurred.

     Nora raised a quizzical eyebrow at him. "Fine, the water is for your thirst." She said handing it to him.

     He eventually gave in and took the bottle before sitting down. Nora sat beside him on a curb.

     Jeremy wasn't up for talking so Nora didn't push. But the two sat beside one another and the silence was enough to sew whatever tear had split them apart.

     After a few moments Nora's attention moves from the pebbles on the road to the sound ringing from far away. "Do you hear sirens?" She asks. Both her and Jeremy watched as the ambulance and police cars sped across the parking lot to the back of the building. Were crowds were building. Nora and Jeremy stood and ran over.

     They found Matt first.

     "What happened?" Nora asks. Matt's eyes were glassy as he stood watching the paramedics rush to behind the building. "Matt?"

     "Mr. Tanner, he's, he's dead."

     "What?" Jeremy said in disbelief.

     Nora glanced at building crate, the number read 8, her eyes then moved to one of the police cars, the licensee plate had the number of 14, and finally on the pavement next to splattered blood was the number 22. She releases a breath and stepped back. Jeremy's attention moved to her. "Nora?"

     "I have to go."

     "Are you going home? I can walk you." Jeremy offered.

     Except Nora didn't plan on going back to her house. She knew she had to go see her grams and finally get answers.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Author speaks ~

Sorry for the inconsistent updates, sometimes there's like five a month and then sometimes there's one but finally halfway till act two.
+ Some Nora and Jere content 🙏
Not spell checked.