Cognitive Psychology

Putting out new inventory is one of her favorite tasks. Only because it's one of the few times she can hang out with Bonnie without Nora interrupting them. Not that she dislikes her girlfriend. She's never seen her friend happier. That's all that matters. But they were in that new relationship stage. A whirlwind of love and laughter that demanded attention. While she understands, she still savors any time she can get alone with her best friend.

The books she's unboxing have an elegant script across the cover. Simple with the outline of fern. A pretty blonde smiles at her from the back cover. There's something oddly familiar about her face, but she chalks it about to working in a magic shop for a year. She's seen other books written by the same woman.

"She's supposed to be coming to New York for a book signing." Bonnie kneels next to her, grabbing a handful of the shiny new books to continue with her display. "Nora was joking that we should reach out and see if she'd do an event at the shop."

"That's a great idea!"

"No, I can't." An embarrassed smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes hurts to see. "She's huge. I doubt she'd have the time."

"It doesn't hurt to ask."

Bonnie busies herself with the display. Putting together an attractive mix of different flowers weaving between the books. She waves the conversation away. "How was the first week? Exciting, right? One more year left."

"They were all fine except that stupid art class."

She drops the books with force on the table. "Careful," Bonnie warns. "What was wrong with the stupid art class?" Her tone playfully mocks.

"The guest 'professor'." She scoffs like she doesn't care to explain and then launches into a passionate series of complaints. "He is so arrogant, Bon! Full of himself. Annoying. You should have seen how cold he was! Teach me a lesson by locking me out. For being ten minutes late, Bonnie. Ten!" She holds her fingers up to emphasize. "Such an ass."

"The first day?" The flowers are somehow brighter and more vibrant after Bonnie runs her hands over them. "That's like… for talking about expectations."

"I know!" She takes out her aggression on the cardboard boxes, ripping the tape off and smashing them flat. "I had to get all the information from Tyler."

"Has he gotten any better about notes?" There's the creeping hint of nostalgia in the question. An unspoken wish to have been able to do both.

"Surprisingly, he was pretty detailed. He's actually excited for this class."

They move on from the new display to refilling the glass jars of various herbs. "He's always been into art." The way she says it, like its known information, catches Elena's attention.

"Since when?"

"Since we were kids, Lena." Bonnie shrugs. She was always quieter. They both were in comparison to Caroline. But unlike Elena who looked inward, Bonnie listened to everyone. It's how she always seemed to know everything. "He was doing those art shows until his dad made fun of him for it."

"I forgot." She's quiet as the dried sage shifts from the bag to the glass. Trying to remember these moments from the childhood. How good Tyler had become at suppressing anything that wasn't hyper masculine to impress his dad. To stay on his good side and avoid bullying at home as much as he could. How had anyone had gotten out of that city in one piece was beyond her.

"Yeah, everyone seemed to. He got pretty good at pretending."

"Damn."

"It's okay. We all pretend." Bonnie takes the hemp sack from her to stow away in their stockroom. "So, your class?"

"It's fine. I tried to talk to him afterwards. Explain myself and apologize. But, Bonnie, he's so infuriating." Her hands flex and clench, trying to calm down. "I was trying to talk, but he kept saying his own name."

"What? Why?" Bonnie can't help but laugh.

"I don't know! He's a raging narcissist? Obviously used to people falling over themselves in front of him. Not me though." She shoves the glass jars back on the shelf with enough force to break them, but they bounce off the wood like rubber.

"Sounds like it." Bonnie smirks knowingly. "Can you drop the class?"

"No, then I'd have to take another class next year. I only have eight credits left after this. A class and a lab." She turns around and hangs her arms in fake exhaustion over her shoulders. "I want my schedule to be light to study and to hang out with you."

"So, you'll endure this terrible teacher for me?" Bonnie pouts with her before she reaches up to her face to stretch her pout into a smile until they laugh.

"I want to enjoy my time with my friends while I can." She spins Bonnie around until they are side by side, her arm draped over her shoulder. "I won't let some overpaid, overhyped pseudo-celebrity artist ruin that."

"Friends? Plural?" The questions catch in her throat as casual as she tries to be.

"She'll come around. I promise." She guides them out of the shop, grabbing her purse before they head out to the door to the coffee shop down the street. "We've been friends for too long. It can't stay like this forever."

The city feels so full of hope this morning. People out running or walking their dogs. Light shining through the buildings that make even the concrete feel like a dream. The day is full of potential and so are they.

Early light filters through the classroom. Tyler smiles up at her with a youthful giddiness when she sets her bag down. On time, she breathes a sigh of relief as she unpacks her supplies. Tyler had helped her pick them out. Then she'd stayed awake late into the night organizing in anticipation of the day. Pretending she could undo her first impression by unlocking the correct order. She'd gone to bed deciding to settle for average marks as long as she passed.

"A good morning to learn the foundations of a medium with which to express yourselves. In ways that transcend even words. Something that might actually prove useful to you. Beyond the walls of this prestigious, if not limiting, establishment." Klaus stands in the middle of the room, leaning against a wooden block as the rest of the students settle in.

"What? Does he think he's better than Colombia?" she leans into Tyler's shoulder, whispering her sarcasm in his ear like when they were kids. Before they'd all started pairing off, she only trusted him with her snark. He was the only one who never made her feel wrong for it.

"Elena, be quiet." He says it with a hushed laugh as he tries to focus on Klaus.

"Art isn't above any of us." Klaus continues, a hint of irritation in his voice. She assumes it's directed at her interruption. His eyes bore holes into hers. "We were all bestowed with the gift. Some more than others."

When he finally takes his eyes off her to address the other students, she bumps into Tyler's shoulder again. "Do you think he's talking about himself?"

"Lena, please." The humor has left his eyes when he pleads with her to focus.

"You may think me self-aggrandizing," Klaus whips around again to stare at her. She meets his eyes with her own assessing stone gaze. "But I assure you there is no greater joy than creating something beautiful with your own hands. The emotion you can evoke with a simple, yet effective brush stroke. Humanity in motion, caught forever in time. A chance to become immortal."

Tyler puts a hand over hers and stops her before she can start. "Don't, Elena."

After his opening speech, he drapes a tarp dramatically over a stool and shines a light at it. Requests that they focus on shadows without concentrating on getting the shape right. When he disappears to the edge of the classroom, she follows him. Until he leans back in his chair and makes eye contact. From that moment on, she focuses on the paper in front of her and decidedly not on him.

To her surprise, she finds the sound of graphite against paper to be soothing. Particularly when it's the sound of the entire class etching away. She considers the silence superior to his instruction anyway. Whispering her questions to Tyler instead of requesting any help from Klaus. She feels almost competent with Tyler's help. He leans over and helps guide her until the shape on her paper begins to resemble the tarp.

His clear giddiness elevates her own mood. It's hard to stay annoyed with the childlike wonder in Tyler's face. Bonnie was right about him. It was like watching him taste freedom.

From behind his desk, Klaus watches the two of them whisper together. Tapping his pen against the hard wood with an undeserved ferocity. He's intent to keep track of the many times she leans against the boy's muscled shoulders. To whisper some secret or joke in his ear. Words he wishes he could hear too.

Finally, he switches the light off to or show their time coming to an end. The class vibrates with conversation until he stands up. Klaus circles them, appraising their work and making mental notes of each student. His purposeful steps are soon the only sound in the room until Elena scoffs at his theatrics.

He stops behind her, hovering over her though not taking in her sketch even a little. "This won't be like any kind of class you've ever taken. Mine is subject to change and will follow no syllabus or guidelines. Seeing your results today has given me direction. Embracing your mistakes will be the focus of this semester, I should think."

Elena slinks down in her seat, uncomfortable with the focus pointed in her direction. A few eyes glance at her but most remain focused on Klaus. Mentally, she screams for him to move. To pick on someone else. She's certain this is intentional to take her down a peg.

A flush creeps along her chest to her neck and Klaus grins.

Afterward, they separate for the rest of their schedule. Meeting again later in the library with Caroline. She sits across from the happy couple and feels guilty for wishing that she was hanging out with one of them. She hates being the third wheel and this is the longest she's been single since high school. Most of the time, she doesn't notice. It's acute now whenever Tyler rests his arm on Caroline's chair, or she casually runs her hands through his hair.

It's obvious they finish studying when Caroline slams her book shut in a huff. "Tyler says you hate the hot art god."

"I don't—"

"I didn't call him that, Care."

She shrugs and ignores them both. "Whatever. He said and I quote, she has an issue with him. So, what's the deal?"

Tyler refuses to look in Elena's direction no matter how badly she tries to get his attention. She'll remember that later when Caroline is not around. "I don't have an issue with him. He's just arrogant and annoying. And I can tell he thinks the world of himself and thinks the rest of us should too."

"Yeah, definitely sounds like you don't have an issue with him."

"A problem then Care. I have a problem with people like him. People who feed their confidence until their ego suffocates everyone in the room." She buries her face back into her book, missing the pointed look between Tyler and Caroline.

Eventually, they leave her alone. They'd chosen to keep their load this semester manageable. Unlike Elena, neither of them had a strong desire keep the second semester as light as possible. Unlike her, they didn't have a need. After they graduated, they'd start their careers while she'd be busy trying to get into med school. If she wanted to get in as soon as possible, she needed to use her last semester to study for the MCAT.

The library is dark, only illuminated by various lamps. Students gathered around light like desperate moths. Klaus strolls through the aisles, compelled by a desire to delay his return to an empty home. He spots her, hair half up, looking frazzled. She bites at her lip and her eyes scrunch together. Concentrating enough that she doesn't notice when he takes a seat across from her.

She's pleasant like this when she isn't actively fighting him. He can appreciate her deep brown eyes when they aren't mocking him. The curve of her jaw when it isn't so set against him. She's beautiful even when her mouth hangs open. Trying to work out whatever issue she's found in the book that has a chokehold on her attention.

"If only you were this quiet in my class," he whispers, and she jumps in her seat.

"What is wrong with you," she hisses while he chuckles, running his tongue over his canine. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough, Ms. Gilbert." He licks his lips, smiling when she glances down. Even if it's only a second.

"For what? To scare me and then criticize my classroom etiquette." The rest of the room has already gone back to their own work. But she still looks around almost nervously before she finds her confidence to glare at him. "Seems hypocritical."

"You don't seem to mind being rude to your teachers. And here I thought you were a respectable student." He likes this tete-a-tete with her. Riling her up the same way she does to him.

"I am polite to the ones I respect." Her nose flairs when she throws the barb back at him.

He can't help but grin. The silence confuses her and as she's about to question it, he switches the topic. "What's this that has such a thrall on you?"

"It's a study guide. For the MCAT." She's disarmed, her answers slower than her insults. And then she clarifies. "Med school."

"I'm very aware of the test, Ms. Gilbert." He shudders at the experience of being on the outside. Watching someone pour themselves into that test. "You seem to have already formed an opinion of me, but I assure you there's more than what you've judged."

"My apologies, Mr. Mikaelson." Her tone betrays her words.

"Klaus." He slips it out quickly, not allowing her to dwell on the correction. Teasing her instead. "Isn't it bold of you to study for a test not having graduated yet?"

"I'm not worried about that."

"Except for my class."

"Like I said, I'm not worried."

"You should be. If you keep conspiring with your boyfriend instead of paying attention." It's a risk to bring up and his heart leaps into his throat waiting for confirmation that he's right.

"Boyfriend? Who, Tyler? He's my best friend's boyfriend. I would never." She wouldn't. Knows that, but still those three words have her stomach lurching. Over all the other things she thought she would never do.

"Friend then." His chest pounds away. Pleased with her answer and worried that she might dig further into the question. "Still. My advice stands. You could do well if you wanted. It is getting late though. I imagine you might need to leave soon?"

"Oh shit." She swallows a lump in her throat and tosses her books into her bag. She'll have to run to make the later train. She never likes travelling this late at night and the panic has accomplished what he'd hoped it would. That she'd forget his jealous question or even that he knew she'd have to leave soon.

She sits in her oversized chair in the living room, snuggled under a blanket while she writes in her journal. The last entries had been so long ago and memories she didn't want to revisit. She allows a few blank pages to separate the old from the new.

He swirls a glass of bourbon in his hand, taking a sip before returning to his sketch book. She's appeared now a few more times. Infuriates him even in her absence as he tries to get her nose right. The way it crinkled as she concentrated in the library.

She writes about Bonnie and Caroline, wondering how it all came to this and how to fix it. Hoping that she'll have an answer the more she scribbles.

He considers the art exhibit. How he can follow up on previous successes. How to be different and unique while still feeding the world what it wants, more of the same. How to consistent yet innovative. How to not fail.

She sighs, letting the journal close as she marks time in her calendar. A reminder to visit Jeremy this coming weekend. It makes her sad, knowing that her parents have stopped seeing him. That he's become nothing more than a financial burden. Wonders if he'd get better quicker if they all did more.

An alert on his phone rings out, illuminating the dark room in artificial blue light. A reminder that he has brunch plans with his sister the following day. Excited but guilty that he still hasn't told the rest of his siblings about her. Wanting, for once, to keep something special for himself a little longer.

She can't write it down, but she thinks about Stefan. Wondering if he's stopped thinking about her. If he'll hate her forever. Her phone buzzes. Another text from Damon that she ignores. Her phone falls between the cushions as she stands up. Wrapping the blanket securely around her shoulders.

Of course, she's studying for the MCAT. Someone as bright as her, but it still has him dwelling on Tatia and Elijah. The three of them, that year, circling around each other like a dying star. Sucking everything into the core. Only it was him who left alone. Ansel texts and he downs the rest of the bourbon. He shoots back a reply, quick and succinct. He's still unsure how to deal with this man whose existence had sent his world spinning. He's polite, but distant. Leaves his phone behind as he moves to the cart to refill his glass.

Sitting outside on her stoop, she clings to the blanket as she braces against the wind. She leans into the feeling, enjoying the way her hair lifts off her neck with the night breeze. Her mind wanders to her teacher. His heavy lower lip and the way he glared at her in class. How, later, he startled and then mocked her. Targeting her. His hands gathering the heavy tarp after dismissing them. The rest of the class leaving while she stayed behind, observing him.

From his balcony, he can watch over the rest of the city like a god. But he doesn't care about Manhattan tonight. His only thoughts are for Brooklyn and a girl that lives somewhere in the borough. Her dark hair rolling him under in heavy waves. The fire behind her eyes warms his chest as the cold air raises goosebumps along his skin. Wishing she were here and wondering if she'll ever like him enough to see him as anything more than an obstacle.

Nothing but the water separates their thoughts tonight.

A/N: Life got busy with a new job and some original writing. But I had some time today to finish this, edit and post. I hope you enjoy it! Some plot elements I didn't plan for keep springing up here and there so I have to keep that in mind for the rest of this fic ha ha. But it's not nearly as heady as Throne of Blood which I'm still outlining and will get to maybe after chapter 6 or 9 of this.

Anyway, Happy Easter!