A/N: Howdy! So, this is a spin-off of Mystic Falls. No, you don't have to read Mystic Falls to understand this story. No, I'm not going to force you to read it. If you want to, I would be extremely grateful. But if not, no big. I'm going to stop talking now. Enjoy!

There she was again. Her head thrown back, laughing wildly at some joke that wasn't even funny. She was just getting her flirt on with a mound of football douchebags. God, I hated her. I slammed my locker shut. As I walked past her, I caught her eye. They opened wide, as if she could somehow convey to me that there wasn't anything between her and these guys. I sneered. Dumb whore.

"You okay, man?

I looked over to see my best friend, Stefan Salvatore. "No." I gestured toward Caroline and he nodded in understanding.

"Ah, gotcha. You haven't even looked her way in over a month. What's going on now?"

"She's purposely trying to piss me off."

I saw Stefan roll his eyes and my anger flourished. He has no idea what she's been doing to me. Her obvious flirting with other guys, the way she brushed too close to me and pretended I didn't exist. The way she sat down next to me in class and acted like I wasn't even there. A pounding began in my ears as my blood raced through my skin. I felt like I was on fire.

"Are you going outside today?" he asked suddenly. The abruptness of the question caused me to stammer.

"Um, well, uh, probably. I can't deal with shit today."

He nodded. "I'll see you then."

I got to class early. I hated English. It was such a waste. Time to put my headphones on, hood up, and head down.

A sweet berry scent hit me full-force and my eyes flew open… to see a nice, jean-covered ass in my face. Whoever this is, should be proud of that thing. I lifted my gaze and growled. Of course it was Caroline. It was always Caroline. She saw my movement and looked back. A blush spread across her cheeks before she sat down. I narrowed my eyes and put my head back down.

A foot kicked my chair, hard. My eyes flew open and my head flew up. All eyes were on me. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I discreetly popped an earbud out. I cleared my throat. "What was the question?"

Mrs. Hershey rolled her eyes. She hated me. She always had. "I asked you what the meaning behind the song was."

"What song?"

"On the paper I passed out…" she looked at the clock. "Twenty minutes ago."

I glanced around wildly and saw one lying on the floor. I picked it up and skimmed the words. I cleared my throat again. "It's about a school shooting." Everyone's mouths dropped. I blushed.

"How did you…?" Mrs. Hershey asked.

"Pumped Up Kicks is one of my favorite songs. If you just really listen to the words, you can figure it out easily. The problem with society today is that nobody listens to the lyrics. Everyone just wants a hardcore beat they can fist pump to. It's ridiculous as much as it is pathetic."

"Tyler… just go back to sleep."

I smiled. "Yes, ma'am."

/

The sun beat down, baking my black shirt. If I knew it was going to be this hot, I would have worn shorts. October is never this hot, though. Footsteps hit the leaves a few feet from me. I smiled. "About time, broski. When we have a date, I expect you to show up on time."

"I didn't know you swung that way."

Fuck you, Stefan. You are going to die a slow and painful death.

I sat up and watched her walk closer. "What the fuck do you want, Forbes?"

She grimaced. "I feel like we need to talk."

I laid back down. "I disagree."

"Tyler, I'm sorry."

"I've heard." Stefan did tell me she was sorry. Not like I cared. She can't say shit and take it back a second later.

"Doesn't that make a difference to you?" She moved closer, so she was standing a foot away from me.

"No." I closed my eyes, wishing her away.

"Tyler."

I opened my eyes to see her standing over me.

Beautiful.

Fuck. I pushed that thought from my head. I groaned and sat up. "What?"

"Why have you been ignoring me and being so rude?"

I opened my eyes and shut my mouth. I took a deep breath. My blood boiled. I couldn't hold this back. "Rude?" She jumped as I yelled. "Rude? You're fucking calling me rude? Says the person who called me a fucking poser. You know what, I'm sorry, Caroline. I'm sorry that I've loved you for four fucking years. And I'm sorry I'm so fucking vile. I'm sorry I have so much swag and that I only flirt with you. I am so sorry." I quickly got up and walked away, spitting into the grass. Gotta get away from those trees before I break my hand.

A hand grabbed my sleeve. I defensively curled my hand into a fist before a pair of perfect lips crashed into mine. Cherry. She tasted like cherries. My fist unclenched as I wrapped my arms around her waist. She pulled back and took a gasp of air. I smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Why didn't you tell me you liked me in eighth grade?"

"You were going out with McKinney."

"So?"

I smiled. "He had a car. I couldn't compete with that."

"You don't have a car now."

"But I can compete now?" I laced my fingers with hers, dragging her back to the building.

"You could always compete, Tyler." She paused and touched my cheek. "I may have come off as a complete bitch but I savored when you talked to me. I was devastated when you stopped. I felt so lost." She shook her head. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to make you that angry."

I kissed the top of her head, the scent of her shampoo hitting me. "It's okay now. Let's focus on this."

She smiled and kissed me softly, standing on her toes. "You ready for this?" she asked, gesturing to the doors. The bell had rung and students would be filing out of the rooms. We'd be walking right into it.

My heart raced. But for the first time in a while, it wasn't out of anger. It was out of excitement. I looked over at her. "Let's do this."