Flashback-

There I sat, in my cold wooden desk fighting to keep my eyes open through my Algebra 2 lecture. Mr. James always kept the room at an unholy 55 degrees, all three hundred sixty five days of the year. I was fighting to keep my eyes open and slightly failing as a sank farther down in my chair. As I started to fall asleep at my desk, the temperature of the chair made me jump and I quickly sat upright. There was no way in hell that I was going to be able to get a wink of sleep in this class. I remember my seat in that class, towards the back but not in the middle. The entire classes seats were in an odd arrangement now that I think about it. I also remember my "clique" or "besties". I always thought we'd be together no matter what, but after that one class everything changed. It had started out like any other math class. We sat down pulled out last nights homework, put it on our desks, Mr. James came by and checked it off on his grade book and then we started lesson. The desk felt freezing on my back so I reached down to pull my big Georgetown University sweatshirt down so it almost completely covered my jean shorts.

"Nicolette, quit fiddling with you sweatshirt and pay attention," M. James chided, "Open up to page 237."

"Yes Mr. James." I mumbled back and reached in my bag pack and pulled out my large notebook and twenty pound textbook.

I glanced down at my math book and opened to page 237. The words all gumbled in my head and they were all falling off of the page. Days like this were days when I would use my popularity for good use and have someone else take the notes for me. I knew I was dyslexic but I never bothered telling anyone. I always felt like such a burden on my mom and dad that I didn't say much. My father was an absentee dad. It would honestly take someone dying to get him to even show his face. He was a drunk and I have no idea why my mom put up with it. My mom was caring, kind, and compassionate, three things I wasn't capable of being close too. She was excellent in everything she did and I secretly envied her. She was such a great mom but she stayed with my drunken father. She said love was a crazy thing whenever I asked. Then she would start off singing Johnny Cash.

"Love is a fiery thing, and it makes a burning ring. " Her voice echoed in my head. The loud intercom jerked me out of my daydream and into reality.

"Excuse me Mr. James, but we need Nicolette down in the office immediately. Tell her to bring all of her belongings." Ms. Fitch, the new school secretary, said politely into the school intercom.

"Right away ." Mr. James responded. As soon as he said the word finch the intercom clicked off. There was definitely some tension with them. Office party gone too far?

"You heard her Ms. De Luna, get up and grab your things." Mr. James said with his back turned to the class writing some math problem on the white erase board.

"Ugh." I mumbled and shoved all of my textbooks into my bag pack.

"Bye guys." I said to the still awake members of my group of friends. I walked slowly towards the door of the classroom, opened it and walked out to the large school office.

A loud beep of cars passing each other by on the road brought me out of my flashback of the past. I sat up and surveyed my surroundings. Last night I was more exhausted and buzzed than I originally had thought. I had a crazy bad hangover and the bright light shinning through the tree house I had commandeered wasn't helping. I don't know why I expected this to be a good hangover recovery area but it was turning out to hurt my head even more. I pulled on my mud caked boots and grabbed my things. Sticking my feet out of the tree house I felt the immense heat of outside of the tree house.

"Too damn hot." I said quietly under my breath as I slung my bags on my back and walked towards the beginning of our edition.

Normally in this situation I would've went directly to Chastity's house, but I knew that my dad would be looking for me there so I had to do the complete opposite of what I would usually do and hope that would throw him off of my tail just long enough to get to Zach's place. Zach was a family friend my mom had met in college. They were best friends and he knew about my father. He was sympathetic and offered if I wanted to stay with him at my mothers funeral. I was to numb to even respond but I took his number down and kept it in my purse every since. I walked through the forest and around all of the neighbors dogs and various other pets. When I finally made it to the beginning of the edition I felt such a relief to be almost to the bus stop. It was only a mile or two down the road.

"Too damn hot!" I kept chanting in my head as I started the walk to the bus station. "Mystic Falls here I come." I said aloud and started walking away from everything I had grown to know and into a new town

Damon POV

I drove in my black Mercedes swiftly towards Mystic Falls. Of all the places that lil Steffie could've chosen to go he chose to go home. Kind-of cute in a way, I chuckled darkly and pressed my foot on the gas a little harder. "Hmm.. I wonder what will await me when I get there." I thought to myself quietly. I knew things would be completely different, but little did I know that I couldn't prepare for what I would find there.