BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Elena's eyes open slowly. "5:30. Great." She wishes that she could just stay in bed, but she knows she can't miss another day of school. Elena takes her phone off her dresser and unlocks it, turning off the alarm. She gets off her bed and heads straight for her closet, ready to pick out her outfit for school. She immediately stops when she sees her cheerleading uniform. Elena can't remember the last time she wore it. Sometimes she missed it, but she just didn't see the point in doing something that she didn't love anymore- not like she used to, anyway. She then brushes her teeth, puts on her makeup, and heads downstairs. After hearing her stomach growl, she searches her kitchen for something to eat. Elena checks a drawer, hoping to find something to end her hunger. All she can find are protein bars, which makes her roll her eyes. Ever since her sister had been getting in shape, her family has had to get rid of any food that could affect her cravings. She almost loses hope until she finds a double chocolate granola bar. She smiles widely while eating it, until she checks the time on her phone. "Shit." Bonnie has probably been waiting for her, and Elena definitely didn't want to get on her bad side this early in the morning. She grabs her backpack and runs out of the door. As she runs down her steps, she realizes that she forgot her keys. Elena looks at Bonnie apologetically, "I'll be just one sec, I promise!" Bonnie honks her horn. "Move it, Gilbert!"
Elena runs towards the car after taking her keys off her counter and sits in the passenger seat, sighing. "Elena, what the hell happened? Did you sleep through your alarm again?" Bonnie fixes her mirror before continuing to drive. Elena laughs to herself, "No, not today. Just lost track of time, I guess." At a red light, Bonnie turns towards Elena with a serious face. "Hey, we never really got to talk about what happened." Here we go. "Bonnie, don't worry about it. Maybe you should worry about the road instead." They both flinch when the car behind them honks. Bonnie speeds up as she continues to talk, "Well, how are you?" Elena tells her what she's been trying to tell herself. "I'm fine." She's hoping Bonnie will just give up, but of course she doesn't. "Elena-"
Elena rolls her eyes, "B, I'm fine." Bonnie laughs in disbelief. "Elena! That's what people always say. You know you can talk to me whenever, right?" Elena knows Bonnie means well, but she is just not ready to talk about everything yet. Now she really wishes she could have stayed in bed. Elena puts her seat back a bit so she could relax. "Of course, Bonnie. But really, I'm feeling better, I promise. I'd tell you if I felt any different." She wasn't completely lying. In all honesty, Elena had no idea how to feel. Nonetheless, she didn't like keeping things from her best friend. Bonnie sighs in relief, "Good. I know it must have been hard to experience that… And I just wanted to say-" Elena quickly raises herself up. "Bonnie, I really appreciate everything you're trying to do, but I'm not in the mood to have a 'heart to heart' right now." She didn't mean for it to come out rude, and luckily Bonnie didn't take it that way. Instead of asking more questions, Bonnie just nods. "You're right. I'm sorry for pushing you. Are you ready for your first official day back?" Elena stares out of her window. "As ready as I'll ever be."
They pull into the school parking lot, and unbuckle their seat belts. While heading into school, Rebekah Mikaelson, one of the most popular girls at Mystic Falls High School, bumps into Elena. She doesn't know what to say except, "Oh, sorry!" Rebekah leans in closer to Elena, making her nervous. "You should be." Rebekah and her minions laugh as they walk away. When Rebekah is finally out of sight, Bonnie gives Elena an angry look. "What did I do now?" Elena thought to herself. "You did nothing wrong. Why did you apologize? That was all Rebekah's fault!" Instead of getting into an argument, Elena decided to keep walking. "Do you think she cares about anything other than herself?" This really has Bonnie baffled, "Maybe her dog?" They both start to laugh as Elena puts her arm through Bonnie's. "Let's get to first period before we end up late again." Right as they start walking, they're interrupted by an announcement on the PA from the principal. "Elena Gilbert, please come to the main office. Elena Gilbert, come to the main office." Elena doesn't understand. What could she have done? Sure, she missed a couple of classes, but her mom told the school that she had been sick. Bonnie removes her arm and rubs Elena's shoulder. "Don't worry, Gilbert. I'll tell Mrs. Miller where you're at. Just let me know what happens!" Bonnie lifts her eyebrows as she smirks. Elena rolls her eyes, "Please write down the notes for me." Bonnie's eyes widened, "You haven't heard?" Elena shakes her head no. "She got a divorce. She hasn't really been the same lately. Very cranky, but she hasn't given us any notes or homework which is cool. Doesn't mean she still isn't a bitch." Elena hasn't always liked Mrs. Miller, but she has to admit that she feels bad for her. She is about to say how Bonnie should go easy on her when the bell rings. "I should go. See you soon, B." Bonnie waves as she walks away, "Bye!"
Elena walks into the main office, taking a seat next to the door. Principal Stevens comes outside of his office and smiles at Elena. "Ms. Gilbert, it's nice to officially meet you." He extends his hand out towards her and she accepts it with a firm handshake. If there's one thing her father taught her, it's that a handshake can mean more than you think. Elena smiles, "Same to you, Principal Stevens." Her principal leads her to his office, telling her to have a seat. "You're probably wondering why you're in here. You're not in trouble-" Elena nods, "That's good to hear." Principal Stevens adjusts himself in his seat as he wipes his palms. Is he nervous? She couldn't think of any reason for him to be. "Yes, it is… But I did call you in because I heard what has happened recently, and I just wanted to know if there is anything we could do to help you?" This cannot be happening. Elena's eyes widen, "Oh. Um, if you don't mind me asking, who did you hear this from?" Noticing that she is upset, he tries to lighten the situation. "People that care about you very much." Elena scoffs, "If they really cared about me, then they'd know how much I appreciate my privacy. I'm fine, Principal Stevens, but thank you for your concern. I should really get back to class." She stands up, causing him to stand up too. "Well, if you ever need to talk to someone, we have counselors here that can help!" This is the last thing she wanted to hear. It made her think about everything she's been trying to avoid. Did she really need help? No, she was strong enough to handle it on her own. "Yes I know. Thank you, sir." Principal Stevens sighs, probably thankful that he hasn't offended her too much. "Of course. Have a good day, Ms. Gilbert. I'll have Mrs. Davis write you a pass."
Elena walks towards Mrs. Davis with a smile. Mrs. Davis has to be one of the nicest faculty members at the school. "Thank you." She takes the pass and heads to class. When Elena finally arrives, she gently knocks on the door. Mrs. Miller opens it for her, and Elena quickly finds her seat. "Nice for you to join us, Elena." Elena starts to tense up, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Miller. I was speaking to Principal Stevens." The teacher walks towards Elena, and takes the pass that excuses her tardiness. "So I was told." Elena was starting to think that maybe Bonnie was right about Mrs. Miller after all. Just because you're having a hard time doesn't mean you have the right to treat others so rudely. Everyone is fighting their own battles, after all. Elena is taken away from her own thoughts when her teacher speaks to her. "Also, it's Ms. Fey now." Dammit. I forgot about the divorce. "Right. Sorry." Ms. Fey walks around the room, surveying her students. "Today, we are going to start reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Have any of you read the book before?" Two students raise their hands, Bonnie being one of them. "Have any of you seen the original movie?" Bonnie raises her hand again. "Okay. How about the newest version?" About ten students raise their hands, Elena and Bonnie included.
Elena liked it for the most part. She's always sort have been a hopeless romantic, not that she'd let others know. Bonnie mostly just saw it for Leonardo DiCaprio. She liked the book and the original film much more. Ms. Fey sighs, "Thought so. Well, most of you know one of the main ideas of the novel- love." Bonnie scoffs as she whispers to herself, "Love my ass." Ms. Fey walks towards Bonnie's seat. "I'm sorry. Did you say something, Ms. Bennett?" Bonnie has always managed to keep her cool when it came to situations like this, unlike Elena. "Oh, nothing. I was just thinking out loud." Ms. Fey starts to nod, making Elena nervous for Bonnie. "I noticed that you were one of the only people to raise your hand to all three of my questions." Bonnie nods, "I did." Ms. Fey walks back towards her desk, grabbing her coffee. "So? What are your thoughts?" Bonnie leans back in her chair, seemingly unaffected by Ms. Fey's intimidating nature. "As much as I would like to answer your question, Mrs. Miller-" Big mistake. Ms. Fey start to give her an upsetting look, to which Bonnie replies, "I mean, Ms. Fey, I'd hate to spoil any of the story for those who haven't seen it. I mean, what kind of classmate would I be?" Some students start to laugh, including Elena until Ms. Fey gives her a death stare. But Ms. Fey turns right back towards Bonnie, "Give it a shot anyway, Ms. Bennett. I'm sure half of the class won't even read the book unless you count spark notes. And those who would, probably already have. So please, tell us what you think." Now Bonnie looks uneasy. When it comes to giving her opinion, Bonnie Bennett usually gives it, whether you want to hear it or not. But the more Ms. Fey questions her, the more she feels like this is a trap. Bonnie is a good student, a great one actually, but when it comes to authority… Let's just say that it's a good thing she has straight A's. "I don't know." Ms. Fey really shouldn't be smiling so widely at the fact that Bonnie has practically given up the fight. She's an adult. Now Elena really doesn't feel bad for her. "I'd really like to hear what you have to say."
Bonnie pauses for a minute to decide what she should say. She breathes in, and says, "I hated it." Ms. Fey seems as if she's taken aback. "And why is that?" Bonnie starts to get visibly agitated. "It was so unfair! Gatsby was a good guy. I mean, sure… He had his flaws. We all do. But he shouldn't have gotten the ending that he did. He didn't deserve it." Ms. Fey nods, but Bonnie doesn't even notice, she's too busy focusing on the clock. She smiles to herself as she says, "Also, Daisy's a real-" The bell rings, interrupting Bonnie from saying probably one of the many bad words Elena has heard since being Bonnie's friend. The students start to laugh as Bonnie runs out of the room before she can get in trouble. Elena runs after her, out of breath when she finally catches up. "B, you were literally saved by the bell." Bonnie stops Elena from moving any further by grabbing her shoulders. "Elena, I'm coming to give you some advice. Always remember that timing is everything." They laugh to themselves as they walk towards their lockers.