The next morning, Bonnie didn't leave her room until she heard the door slam twice-signalling both the men she lived with had left. She dialed Jeremy. He had been her only true source of communication for months and it was hard to spend so much necessary time away from him.

"Hey Bonnie." She could hear him smiling from across the line.

"Hey Jer, how's Mystic Falls?"

"Oh you know, the usual."

"So death and mayhem?"

"About." He laughed. "Hows your dad and brother." Bonnie laid back in her bed and sighed."That bad?" He laughed.

"You have no idea." She bit out. "I forgot how hard it would be being around people not aware of the world. And it didn't help someone decided to pass through to the Other Side in the middle of a fight."

"What were you fighting about?"

"I didn't tell dad Rudy was killed. But I mean, besides the obvious dilemma of my death, what would I have said? 'Hey dad, the immortal being Silas killed my stepfather and compelled a town to prove a point and look for the Katherine-cure.'"

"That would have gone over well." Jeremy snorted. "And what did he do after the ghost passed through you?"

"Freaked out. Took me to the hospital."

"And?"

"They performed basic tests. Said I was normal." They both snorted. Like either of them were normal. "But I refused anything more extensive."

"That must have gone over well."

"It's not like I'm on speaking terms with my dad right now. I said some pretty horrible things."

"It's hard for both of you. You've been through so many things, that even if he found out you were a witch, he'd never understand. But you have to remind yourself that it's not his fault."

"How was your first day of school?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Almost as dad as your first days at Beacon Hills." He chuckled.

"What happened?" She grew concerned.

"Damon had to compel the principle not to expel me."

"Jer!"

"I know. But I'm in the same boat as you. No one will ever understand being dead and then not-dead…and not in the vampire way." He amended. Bonnie felt guilty. She was the one who brought Jeremy back. "But there was one thing." He broached.

"Oh?"

"After the fight that I got into, a new girl came up to me to ensure my safety." He said cautiously.

"Oh, did you ask her on a date?" They had broken up a long time ago, and they'd be friends for the rest of Jeremy's life, and she wanted the best for him. For him to be happy after everything he went through. But it was hard, everyone seemed to be moving on, Jeremy and the new girl, Elena and Damon, Caroline and Tyler (or Klaus depending on the day of the week), and she didn't have anyone because she didn't want to know the expiration date on their romance.

"I invited her to the Falls back to school party."

"That's good. I'm really happy for you, Jer. That you're living."

"Thanks, Bonnie." He sighed. "Listen, I've got to go, but be safe, Bon. Be happy. Make it up to your dad and brother."

"I'll try. Bye, Jer."

"Talk to you soon."

She hung up and got out of bed. She could call Caroline or Elena, but she opted against it. She did however shoot off a text to Stefan asking how he was. She was going to be around for an eternity, she might as well make her friendships secure. What was she supposed to do now? She didn't want to write and didn't know anyone in Beacon Hills. Well, that wasn't completely true. She had met Derek. She made a quick decision to send a text to him, hoping she didn't seem clingy or needy. Because Bonnie Bennett was neither of those things.

Hey, if you're not busy, would you be interested in showing me around Beacon Hills?

She hesitated a moment before pressing send. She'd been berating herself for sticking her neck out and texting Derek after he didn't respond within ten minutes. If her neck had been that far out in Mystic Falls she'd have been drained in a moment. She'd shaken her head at the neediness she was presenting and decided to get dressed. She was halfway through her routine when her phone binged. She finished doing her mascara, figuring it was Caroline or Stiles, but was surprised to see it was Derek when she checked.

Sure. Want to meet at the restaurant from yesterday?

She texted back. I'll be there in an hour.

I'll meet you in the parking lot and then we can grab lunch. Derek had responded.

When she finished getting ready, she grabbed a grimoire and wrapped it in a scarf to protect it and placed it in her back seat, figuring she could read it in case her friend was running late. When she arrived, she was surprised to see Derek leaning against a car.

"Hey, I hope you weren't waiting long." She smiled as he pushed himself off his car.

"I was early." He shook his head. "Are you hungry?" He had noticed she was a bit too thin, and there was something telling him to take care of her.

"Sure." Bonnie ducked her head and pushed some hair out of her face.

At the table, Derek smiled. "I was glad to hear from you." He had said after they ordered.

Bonnie laughed. "Well, I figured it was either you or my brother to show me around Beacon Hills." She scrunched her nose. "You edged him out, sir."

"I thought you were from Virginia?" Derek leaned closer unknowingly.

"I am." Bonnie smiled to let him know his question wasn't unwelcome. "I lived with my stepdad while my dad and half brother are from here." She shrugged.

"What are they like?"

"My family?" Bonnie snorted. "My dad is super overprotective and my brother is the quintessential high school boy." She laughed, remembering Stiles going on and on about Lydia Martin.

"And your step dad?"

Bonnie smiled sadly. "He was kind. Didn't get me completely, you know. Teenage girl and traveling business man aren't exactly complementary, but he cared about me. He didn't have to after my mom left. But he did." She shrugged. "What about you? You said you had a sister?" She turned the topic away from her depressing family life.

"Cora." Derek matched Bonnie's sad smile, both unknowingly having equally sad family stories. "She's younger than me too. We were separated when we were younger, but I found her last year. She's serious, but at the same time, she's the same young girl I remember."

"Do you have any other family?" Bonnie questioned softly.

Derek debated telling her anything else. "My Uncle Peter and I used to be close. He isn't that much older than me. We're…reconnecting." Derek hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I have a couple of friends that I'm close to. We look out for each other." He shrugged, speaking about his pack. Even though they didn't always get on, he cared for Isaac, Scott, and Stiles, and even Alison Argent and Lydia Martin.

"That's good." Bonnie smiled. "I had a couple friends at home I'm close to." She remembered Caroline and Elena. "I grew up with them, and our group only expanded." Jeremy, Matt, and Tyler flashed through her mind. "We have the same relationship as you, I think, sometimes. We get in huge fights, and sometimes we hate each other, but we look out for each other." She thought of the Salvatore Brothers. "If you can't trust your friends, the whole world might as well be against you."

Derek was silent, chewing over the words. "That's very wise, Bonnie." He said slowly.

"What can I say?" Bonnie shrugged her discomfort off. "I'm like an eighty year old forever trapped in the body of a eighteen year old." Forever. She'd be eighteen forever. And so would Elena and Stefan and Tyler. And Caroline would seventeen. She shook off the depressing thoughts. This was a day for her to move on and make friends.