A/N: I forgot to mention before … no copyright infringement intended. Nothing except the plot is mine.

Chapter-2: Wild Child

Two days before Junior Prom, 2015

"Elena! Wake up!"

I pull the blankets up over my head to tune out the banshee's voice.

"Damn it, Elena! Wake UP!" The banshee calls out again, this time alarmingly closer than before. "If you miss the school bus, I'm not going to drive you. I'm NOT joking, Kid."

That gets on my nerves. Pulling back the covers, I aim a glare at the general direction of the voice. "I'm not a kid, Jenna."

"Aunt Jenna," my legal guardian, heretofore addressed as the banshee, grouches, perching a hand on her hip. "And if you're not a child then stop acting like one."

The words "I'm not your child" almost escapes me—almost. Biting my lip to shut myself up, I decide to keep the glower steadily fixed on her.

Jenna sighs, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. "Elena, please," she says, her tone pleading this time. "I'm really trying here. I know I'm not your mom and I don't want to take her place. But please, can we just cohabit peacefully without these daily arguments? I need to get to my classes too ..."

She stops, and I can imagine the unsaid "... instead of taking care of your sorry ass" hanging in the air around us.

"Please?" she pushes again.

Rolling my eyes because that's the most peaceful I can get at the buttcrack of dawn, I say, "Go to class then. I can manage myself just fine."

Jenna sighs once more before leaving me alone.

I wanna cry out and ask, "Who the hell died and made you such an adult?" at her back. But I don't. Because I know the answer to that. My parents.

The school day doesn't even get to end properly before I'm staring at my aunt's overly done face outside the principal's office.

"El, why ..."

I interrupt her before she can continue. "It's Elena," I say, the harsheness audible even to me. Only my mother called me El and no one else.

Jenna nods. "Elena." She sounds frustrated. "Why do you keep doing these things? Neither of your parents were like this."

I feel my face harden. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not them."

"You really don't care what people think of you?"

The words burst out of me before I know. "I know what people think of me. Do you?"

She narrows her eyes. "Don't start this, Elena."

I tilt my head back to give her a sarcastic smirk. "It's already started, Aunt Jenna. It started the moment you decided to play parent to me. Well guess what? You're not my mom. So don't try acting like you care."

"I've never even thought of taking your mother's place," she whispers, her eyes lowered. "I understand teenage angst, kid. It wasn't too long ago when I was your age, but drugs? Why?"

Drugs? I gasp inwardly, realizing what Tyler Lockwood must've dropped into my backpack when he pushed past me in the hallways.

Keeping my act of bravado going, I sneer. "Why? Will that be a chink in your armor, O great guardian?"

Her face pales at my words.

"Please tell me you're not doing this to rebel against me."

Rolling my eyes, I say, "Don't think of yourself so highly. I couldn't care less about rebelling against you."

She seems to detect a sense of smartassness in me because she gets sterner. "Tell me where you got the drugs. Who gave them to you?"

Now I could tell her the truth because Lockwood and I aren't really chummy, but why should I give her the satisfaction of getting an answer out of me? So sticking my chin up in defiance, I stay silent.

"For the last time, Elena, tell me who gave the drugs to you!"

I pretend to check my nail polish for a chip instead of answering her which seems to make her self control snap. "Fine. You don't want to tell me? Don't. But you're grounded for a week starting today."

As if she can keep me grounded! I let out a snort and look at her. "Don't tell me you want me to break the Gilbert family tradition and miss the prom because I'm grounded?"

She huffs. "I already agreed to let Matt take you to the prom, didn't I? So aside from the prom, you'll not be going anywhere but school and home. Understand?"

I roll my eyes. "Don't bother. Matt and I are done. As for being grounded, I'll try to keep my wings from showing."

She frowns. "You broke up with Matt? Why?"

Ignoring her question, I wave a hand. "Bye, Jenna."

Yeah, I'm the wild child … the smartass … the mega bitch. But I'm not anyone's puppet.

A/N: So … thoughts?

Share them with me and leave a review.

Kouga's Eternal, I hope you're enjoying this.

Love.

Ann